The Successor
by CityOfFallenAshes
Summary: All I wanted to do was return a metal wand, I realized miserably, pain racking through my mind. I felt the Doctor gently squeeze my hand, reassuring, his gaze full of unsuppressed grief, and I couldn't help but smile softly at him. He would be upset, I knew, as he was when he lost every other companion. But I was the Successor. And this had to happen to me of all people. 10/OC
1. Prologue

**Full Summary:** All I wanted to do was return a metal wand, I realized miserably, pain racking through my mind as I stared at the destruction around us. I felt the Doctor gently squeeze my hand, reassuring, his gaze full of unsuppressed grief, and I couldn't help but smile softly at him. He would be upset, I knew, as he was when he lost every other companion. But I was the Successor. And this had to happen to me of all people. 10/OC

**~~OO~~II~~OO~~**

**((Prologue))**

**~~OO~~II~~OO~~**

A man ran his fingers through his styled dark hair, his brown eyes serious as he scanned the screen in the strange room he stood in, lips pursed thoughtfully. "Come on, you," he muttered to the column in the center of the room. "Work. Is there something I'm missing?"

The machine was silent.

The Doctor groaned, rocking back onto his heels. "There's got to be something I'm missing," he mumbled, striding across the control room of the TARDIS to glance outside the double doors. "I shouldn't be missing anything, why am I missing something?"

The TARDIS gave a groan, and then the screen flashed. The Doctor raced back over, examining the screen again. "I knew I wasn't missing anything!" he cried, giving the control area an affectionate look. Then his gaze became serious as the TARDIS became quiet. "What's wrong, old girl?" he muttered, running his fingertips across the controls. The TARDIS remained still instead of shuddering as it should have, acknowledging his touch.

The Doctor's brow furrowed and he slid on a pair of black glasses, combing his hair again with his fingers. "If I'm not missing something, then why isn't this working?" he said in frustration, glaring at the contraption he'd almost been forced to abandon. "Why isn't _anything_ working?! Can't charge my screwdriver…worthless you are," he scolded the TARDIS.

The TARDIS didn't respond.

Screams came from outside, and the Doctor gave an anxious glance towards the doors. The TARDIS gave a whining hiss, smoke leaking from the grated floor. "I'm sorry, I'll take a look at the engines later, and right now people are _dying_."

Without another word, the Doctor snatched up his contraption, grabbed his jacket, and ran out the doors of the TARDIS, locking them behind him.

The TARDIS's lights flickered, and the ship fell silent.

**~~OO~~II~~OO~~**

**A/N: My second, hopefully successful attempt at a Doctor Who fanfiction having to do with my OC and the Doctor! Please review on your thoughts! ^_^**


	2. Insane Old People and Crazy Kids

**((Insane Old People and Crazy Kids))**

**~~OO~~II~~OO~~**

I closed my eyes, enjoying the sunshine mixed with a crisp and cool breeze gently blowing around me, smiling at the wonderful feeling of the season of fall. My favorite season. Leaves drifting across cobblestone that was damp from the previous night's rain in my favorite park made the bench I sat on the perfect place to sketch out my latest vision in my drawing pad, already almost filled to the brim with random images I'd drawn out.

I was so happy I had moved here, to England four years ago. I loved the peaceful air of it, people being kind to one another. Excluding the few rude people of course.

I paused in my drawing to sweep some long black hair over my shoulder, humming quietly to the music that filled my ears, my pencil pausing as I examined the strange drawing I had been working on for the past two hours.

It was a drawing of an angel, a beautiful stone angel that looked so full of despair that I nearly felt sorry for drawing it. I skimmed my fingers down the length of its wings, smiling gently at it. It looked so realistic. It reminded me of the angels that guarded the gravestones of a nearby cemetery.

Back to it looking realistic, I remembered what my only friend in England, Breana Nicole, had said about the realistic factor about all of my art.

_"Just…keep them to yourself and don't show me them again,"_ my usually happy, bubbly, and friendly friend had said with a nervous tone. _"I'd prefer if I didn't have to see those. They look way too real for my liking. Makes me think they'll pop out of the page."_

I bit my lip as I snapped the black hardback sketchbook shut, huffing. I needed to get a car, I decided, pouting at the fact that I needed to leave the lovely green park. My favorite spot in anywhere I'd ever seen, even back home with Mandy and Michael, my adopted parents.

I climbed to my feet, pulling my white headphones off and stuffing them into my large bag along with my IPhone and my sketchbook, adjusting my white jacket and stuffing my hands in my pockets as I started down a cobblestone path, heading for the exit of the park so I could walk to a café a few blocks away, where I planned on meeting up with Bre to people watch and scout out any particularly friendly guys –for her specifically. I wasn't into the guy thing at the moment, I just wanted to live.

Something moved in the corner of my vision and I turned my head just in time for someone to slam into me, sending me sprawling to the ground with a yelp. My possessions went flying out of the bag, and I winced at the sharp _crack!_ of my IPhone striking the cobblestone path. I cursed quietly, scrambling to my feet.

"Sorry, sorry," the person who'd crashed into me said, distracted as he scrambled to gather my sketchbook. "Looking for something important, didn't mean to do that…" He helped me to my feet, and I groaned in frustration as I realized a few loose pages had flown out, landing in random positions around us.

"It's alright," I reassured the man, surprised. I scooped up my IPhone, grimacing at the now shattered screen. Damn, that had been an expensive phone, too. I stuffed it into my bag along with my headphones and different pencils and colored pencils I had brought, taking my sketchbook from him and stuffing it in as well. "I doubt you meant to run into me that hard, just get those papers over there, please?'

"Yes, yes," the man said briskly, darting over and snatching them up with an air of impatience. "So sorry about that, I'm in a rush, looking for something fairly important as I said…" he trailed off, and I glanced over as I picked up a few of my drawings. He had fallen silent, looking at my art with a startled expression. "You drew these?"

"Yes," I answered, holding my hand out expectantly as he ran a finger over the paper, a sad look entering his expression. When he handed it over, I was surprised to see that he had been looking at the picture of the young blond woman with glowing eyes that I had dreamed about only a few weeks ago. "All of them. They're things I think of and sketch them out."

The man ran his fingers through his styled brown hair, pursing his lips and shooting an anxious look over his shoulder. "I…ah, I need to-"

"Go ahead, I'm alright," I told him, giving a small laugh at his anxious, nervous look. "I have no idea why you're in such a rush, but just go." I tucked the drawings into my bag, smiling, amused. It had been a while since I'd talked to someone in this much of a rush, and by the tensed form he held, he was definitely needed somewhere.

"Sorry about that phone of yours, I'll try and pay you back for that," he apologized, and then took off at a sprint, tucking a pair of black glasses into the pocket of his trench coat. He disappeared into the park, and I raised an eyebrow, brushing myself off.

He was strange, I decided, making sure I had picked up everything that belonged to me. "Oh!" I had almost forgotten my wallet! Ugh, sometimes I was such an idiot! I scooped it up, and then noticed something beside it. I frowned, picking it up.

It was a strange gray and silver device with a black end and a blue bulb of a tip. A few buttons ran down the sides of it, and I tilted my head, examining it. "Huh," I muttered, shrugging and tucking it into my bag as well. I'd turn it into the police later, but for now, I had to meet Bre. She was probably already wondering where I was.

Sweeping my thigh-length black locks over my shoulders so that it cascaded down my back, I stuffed my hands into my pockets and started down the path once again.

**~~OO~~II~~OO~~**

An hour later found me sitting, my legs crossed, at a café table, my blonde haired friend Bre across from me, sipping at some tea and studying any man that passed with a critical look on her face. "Too skinny," she complained for the third time. "All of them are either too thick or too skinny! So not fair!"

I rolled my eyes, resting my chin in my palm as I flipped through my papers, making sure I had each and every drawing from the past four years in there. I wasn't sure how, but I knew exactly what was in there. Every single drawing I had ever done locked inside my mind. "Bre, be patient. Some guy will come along, probably one of the two you don't like, and you'll fall head over heels. Chill."

"They all want you and your pretty hair, though," Bre complained.

I shrugged. "And I'm not interested." I skimmed my fingers over the drawing of the blonde girl with glowing eyes, the one the man had looked at earlier, moving onto the next one, the drawing of the angel statue, and then an army of metal men.

"Ali," Bre, warned. "I don't wanna see those."

"I'm just making sure they're all here," I replied patiently, pursing my lips with a huff. "Some guy ran into me and they went…every…where…" I trailed off, examining one of my drawings.

It was the man.

The very man I had run into, or, more specifically, had run into me. All of the details were the same, down to the very way his hands were in his pockets and the black framed glasses perched on his nose. And behind him was the familiar blue box I dreamed about every night.

Every night without fail, that damn box was in my dream. I could dream about _showering_ and it would make its way in there. That stupid old blue police box.

But why was it in the very same picture as the nameless guy who'd ran into me earlier? I frowned, shoving a hand through my hair. "Bre," I said, interrupting her complaints about the lack of decent men in the country. "Look at this. Bre, I saw him earlier."

Bre glared at me, examining the picture I had drawn about three years ago. "You're imagining things," she sighed, handing it back. "Though I have to say, I wouldn't mind that guy being real. He's not too bad looking."

I rolled my eyes again, shuffling through my pictures. "Aha!" I cried as I finally found what I was looking for, handing another picture to her. It was a picture of the silver device I had found earlier! I took the exact device from my bag and waved it in front of her face. "Look at this! You call that imagining things?"

Bre blinked in surprise, examining the device and then the picture. "…you're messing with me," she accused, shoving it back with an annoyed look. "You went and had some person make that for you."

"No," I protested, "I ran into that guy earlier, and it must have been his…he might've dropped it when he crashed into me. We both fell…I need to go find him and give it back…"

"You're not going anywhere, Ali," Bre snapped, "We're supposed to be hunting for potential boyfriends, remember!?"

I paused, having shoved away from the table and already pushing all of my papers into my bag. "But, Bre…this guy, he's important, I know he is…"

"I don't care," Bre snapped, "You never want to hang out and the one time you do, you're just going to leave me? I should've invited someone else!"

I winced as she shot to her feet, obviously irritated. "Bre, I'm sorry," I pleaded. "I need to give it back, and then I'll come right back! Maybe you could even come with me-"

"Forget it," she spat, stalking away, heading towards her apartment.

I bit my lip, tempted to go after her, but shook my head, examining the strange device in my hand. This needed to be returned before the guy thought I'd stolen it from him. I didn't want to be arrested for an accidental theft! I turned away, darting in the direction of the park. _Sorry, Bre, gotta do this and then I'll apologize and rip up all the drawings!_

She'd love that.

Maybe enough to forgive me.

I ducked into the park as soon as I reached it, slowing to a walk as I passed a couple who were fairly close to making out in the middle of a public place. I looked around, inspecting the area for the man from earlier, but seeing nobody but an old woman walking her old looking dog. I walked over to her, saying politely, "Excuse me, ma'am, have you seen-"

"Leave me alone," the woman said irritably.

"I just wanted to know if you've seen-"

"I said leave me alone!" she snapped back, glaring at me with sparking blue eyes now.

"I'm sorry, just, please, I need to find-" I was cut off when the dog suddenly hissed.

_Hissed_.

Last time I checked, dogs didn't hiss.

And neither did old women.

I backed away, slightly worried now. "I'm sorry; I'll just be going now…" I whirled away, darting down the path, startled. When the hell did elderly women and dogs start hissing at me!? _When you picked up something that didn't belong to you_, I answered myself with a sigh. That's what I get for picking up the silver stick. Stupid me.

I sighed as I came across a small child, playing with another. "Excuse me," I said softly, crouching so that I was at eyelevel with them, smiling. They stopped playing, eying me warily, "Could you tell me if you've seen a man in a brown coat with a suit and glasses hanging around here? He was tall and had some strange hair…"

"Oh!" the small girl said, smiling at her companion excitedly. Her green eyes gleamed with a strange light. "Yes, you mean the Doctor, searching for his lost screwdriver!" Her voice took on a sneering tone and I jerked back when she smirked. "Alissa Levine is looking for the Doctor!"

"Wouldn't Mother be happy to hear about that," the small boy she'd been playing with sneered. "The Successor has lost her Doctor!"

I flushed, confused. "I'm sorry," I said, biting my lip, "Could you just- hold on a sec, I didn't tell you my name!"

The girl smiled innocently, though it looked more like she was baring her blunt human teeth. "Everyone knows of the Successor. The only one who doesn't know you is the Doctor, the poor Doctor who's lost without his screwdriver or TARDIS."

"Stop that," I said sternly, "I don't know what you're talking about, so just tell me if you've seen the man before I get mad!"

The girl laughed. "What are you gonna do?" she taunted, "Sonic me? You don't even know how to fight! I've seen your pathetic skills, everyone has! You're just as pathetic as ever!"

"Ah, I've been looking for you," a voice said smoothly. "Was wondering where you'd wondered off to."

I jerked up, startled to see the man from earlier. "Uh-" He shot me a look and I got it. _Play along. _For whatever reason I didn't understand, I needed to pretend I knew him. "Sorry, got a bit lost while…shopping."

"If you'll excuse us," he said smoothly to the children, shooting them a glare. "Behave, you two. Wouldn't want to make anyone angry, would you?"

The two children shot us a final glare before scampering off.

"I….uh…," I stammered for a moment before suddenly thrusting the silver device at the man with an apologetic expression. "Here. I didn't mean to take it or anything; I just found it and didn't think anything of it."

"Ah, my sonic screwdriver!" The strange man cheered up instantly, his glare fading as he gently took the device, examining it. "And not a scratch! Thanks, needed that! Well, could've made a new one, but takes longer than I have for now…seeing how those two have been causing trouble and three people have disappeared since I got here…"

I raised an eyebrow, barely understanding a single word he said as he spoke in a rushed tone. "Err…yeah…" It hit me. This guy could help me understand the drawings maybe! It was him and his weird device I had drawn after all! "Hey! I have a question for you, one moment."

I withdrew my art from my bag, shuffling through it before offering a few papers to him. "You know what these are, don't you?"

He withdrew his glasses from his pocket, sliding them on and scanning over the pictures. "Huh. That's me. And the TARDIS…strange talent you've got here…Ah! Even Jack! Interesting, interesting!" He snatched the other papers from me, going through them. "Cybermen, Ood, Weeping Angels, my screwdriver…where'd you see these?"

I shrugged uncomfortably. "Nowhere, they just appeared in my head." I pointed to a paper filled to the brim with drawings of the police box. "That especially. No matter what I do, that always appears."

"The TARDIS," he mused, running his fingers through his hair. "Strange. I've never heard of this."

"The police box is called the TARDIS?" I said eagerly. He knew! He knew what everything was! "That's a strange name for a police box! And what about this place? I handed him another picture, this time of a room with a strange blue column and controls and coral spires. "What's this?"

He took it, examining it as well. But then he glanced up, not at me, but over my shoulder. "We've got some company I see. They went for some friends."

I cast a glance over my shoulder, startled when I saw the two children, the old woman and her dog, and a few others. "They hissed at me," I said softly, "What's with that?"

"Oh, nothing much." he replied simply, handing the picture back to me, and I tucked it safely back into my bag. "We should…ah, never mind, exit is blocked, too."

I glanced over his shoulder, and sure enough, we were surrounded. "What do they want?"

"Excellent question! What do you want?" the man said, turning and removing his glasses, staring at the people.

The girl from earlier hissed, her jaw giving a strange twitch. "The Doctor wonders what we want," she taunted.

An old man cackled. "He should know."

The man –the Doctor, I suppose –gritted his teeth. "What do you want?" he repeated.

"The girl," a woman said simply.

"We want the girl," another woman agreed. "The girl is what we want."

The old man cackled. "Her death, more specifically."

"Death of the Successor would make us famous!" the old woman cried.

I bit my lip, glancing at the Doctor, who narrowed his eyes. "Leave her alone, you lot," he said angrily. "She's just an innocent human, she's done nothing! Have you?"

"NO, I haven't done anything," I snapped, "I just come and sit and draw is all."

The Doctor hummed thoughtfully, rocking back on his heels. "What has she done to you lot, hm? You could have any other person, why this girl specifically? Hm!?"

"She's the Successor," the girl wailed impatiently, glaring daggers at the Doctor, "Hand her to us! Let us rip her apart! She deserves death!"

I winced. _And all I wanted to know was where this guy was…_

"Her flesh wouldn't be half bad either," a man murmured, and I shot a death glare at him. The Doctor did the same.

"The Doctor can't escape!" the old woman cried, "Get them! Get them now!"

The Doctor shot me a cheerful look, winking. "Ah, time to run!" And then he took off. "This way!"

I scrambled after him, demanding, "Why are we running, they can't seriously hurt us, can they?! Half of 'em are old people and children! Regular old people and children!"

"Regular old people and children that hiss?" the Doctor pointed out, ducking around a corner. I followed. "You're like any other human, not seeing past the perception filter. They're hiding they're true form- ah! Here we are! In you go!"

I froze.

The police box from my dreams!

He unlocked the door, pushing me inside and slamming the door behind him, locking it before suddenly whipping around in an almost frenzy, grabbing things. I nearly jumped when he appeared beside me, gently grasping my chin and tilting my head back to examine my face. "Nothing unusual about you, just a regular human girl. Come from anywhere in particular?"

I shook my head. "No," I said heatedly, "I came from America, that's all."

"Why'd you move? Any family?"

I bristled. "No, and I just wanted to!"

The Doctor picked up a piece of my hair, examining it as he said, "Sorry about this." He grabbed the silver device I'd returned, pressing a button. A buzzing came from it and the lock of hair fell off of my head.

"Hey!" I cried in outrage as he danced away from my swatting hand, darting over to screen. It took me a moment to recognize where we are. I'd drawn this place, too. A compartment slid open and he placed the hair in it, closing it. "You're just a regular human," he repeated. "Then what, _what_ do they want with you, Ms. Alissa Levine?"

"Ali," I corrected before demanding as he pulled a piece of grated floor away and disappeared beneath the massive control panels, "What in the hell are you doing?!"

"Finding something!" he cried back, "Go push the red button by the zigzaggy kind of lever, would you? That's the lights down here!"

I did as he said, then jumped when he came flying back up with a triumphant cry. "Here we are, maybe I can get this to work this time!"

I brushed my fingers over the bronze-colored paneling of the strange machinery, and I gasped when it shuddered, an echo of a voice whispering across my mind. The Doctor was by me in an instant, inspecting my face again. "Just an ordinary human and the TARDIS is answering to your touch when it hasn't done much for the past few months…."

I flushed, tearing my hand away from the console. "Where exactly are we? Can I go home?"

"Inside of the TARDIS, Time And Relative Dimensions In Space," he answered, "And no, not just yet. Gotta figure out if those Lizans are aggressive to other humans…"

My patience snapped. "Oi!" I shrieked, "Stop running around and tell me what is going on!"

"Right!" he said, "Sorry! Those are aliens from another planet! I don't know why they're calling you a successor or after you, but we're going to find out!" He snatched my bag from me, tossing it to the side before pushing me to some seat and making me sit in it. "You sit there, I'll be back. And I mean it! Don't come out till I say so!" He disappeared outside like a whirlwind, contraption in hand.

I was left, stunned. So much had happened in such a short time that it took me a moment to process.

For some reason, those things wanted to kill me. The only thing that stood between me was a stranger with some lump of metal and a stick and a thin wooden set of doors.

Tears of frustration pricked my eyes. Oh, I wasn't scared. I was infuriated by the fact that I didn't understand a single thing. I sniffled, wiping at my eyes. Stupid tears.

_"My Girl came,"_ a voice whispered in my mind, startling me. _"My Girl is in danger. My Thief approaches…"_

As the last words were whispered, the Doctor came _flying_ back in, moving faster than I thought physically possible as he moved rapidly around the controls of the machinery, leaving me blinking. "Ah, there we are! All taken care of, I think, just some little virus that needed taken care of! You should be safe to go home, now! Won't bother you a bit! What's the address?"

I blinked.

That was fast.

"You killed them?" I demanded.

"Oh, not the humans," the Doctor "reassured", "They were possessed by a virus from another galaxy that I haven't checked up on in a few years. Should do that as soon as you're gone. Sorry about the trouble, though I must thank you for returning my sonic. Well, not stealing it. Lots of people return it, fewer steal it."

My head was spinning. "They're gone?" I repeated.

"Yep! Address?"

"They're gone. Things that were trying to kill me disappeared in a matter of ten minutes? Am I dreaming or something?" I groaned, burying my face in my hands. This was all so confusing. Today had definitely been a hell a day, that's for sure! Bre hated me now. Met some guy who knew about my drawings. "Something tried to kill me and you saved me and now you're just going to leave?"

"Sure," the Doctor said, shrugging. "My job is done. Unless…"

I glanced at him. "Unless…?"

He _finally_ seemed to slow down. "Unless…you'd like to come with me?"

I blinked. "Uh, where exactly?"

"Oh, anywhere, really. Need to check up on that galaxy first. But I would like to know…why you?" He murmured, examining me from where he was working on the controls. He pushed a lever and the TARDIS quivered. "Ah, you're waking up finally, are you, old girl!?"

"You're talking to a machine?"

"She's alive," the Doctor huffed. "Not a machine. The TARDIS has a heart and everything. Just…no looking into that."

I hesitated. "You're offering to take me with you?"

"Sure," he agreed, "Find out what they wanted with you, how you know about Time Lords, that kind of stuff…what do you say?"

I blinked. "But, I have a home," I protested, waving at the doors.

"Time machine," he interrupted. "I can take you back to five minutes after we leave."

"You're kidding," I muttered.

"Nope," he said cheerfully. "Now, yes or no? I really do need to get moving."

The answer was obvious. Why give up the chance jus 'cause Bre was mad? Why give up some chance to run off with a stranger in a weird machine just so I could call Mandy and Michael?

I grinned, narrowing my eyes. "Prove this isn't just some trick…ah, what should I call you?"

"The Doctor, just the Doctor," he answered, not taking his eyes off of the screen he was studying. "Call me the Doctor, and I'll call you Ali."

"Well then, Doctor, prove yourself."

He glanced at me, a mischievous look on his face. "To Canziar it is." He pulled a lever, pressed a button and then pushed another.

And the "police box" began to move.

**~~OO~~II~~OO~~**

**A/N:** Strangest. Chapter. I've. Ever. Done. BUT! I like it! It was fun to write! Kind of fast paced, but whatever. I had a blast with "crazy Ten moment". :D I hope people actually read this time and review…next chapter will be out soon!


	3. Canziar: Part I

**((Canziar: Part I))**

**~~OO~~II~~OO~~**

"I thought you said we were going to that weird place," I muttered, holding the wiring that the Doctor told me to hold as he messed around below the control panel of the police box, where he was muttering to himself.

"Not a weird place, the planet Canziar," he corrected, his voice muffled and slightly unhappy. "Hm…the TARDIS isn't even sparking anymore…"

I peered down at him as the voice caressed my mind once more. _"Not the hammer,"_ it whispered as the Doctor called up for exactly that, its tone pleading, _"Not the hammer."_

I frowned, glancing at the hammer the Doctor wanted and shrugged, tossing it down to him. I wasn't going to follow the voices in my head, seem actually crazy and get kicked off of a strange ship before I got to go anywhere!

The Doctor began to bang on something with a hammer, and the machinery didn't seem to like it. It sparked immediately, a groan coming from somewhere down where the Doctor was. "Uh," I said nervously, "That doesn't look good." Smoke had begun to come from the grated floor, and the Doctor climbed out, coughing.

He narrowed his eyes, looking over the central column as a soft _vworp, vworp, vworp_ came from it, pieces within the blue glow moving up and down. I could tell he was worried about something, but instead of telling me what was up with the police box, he said cheerfully, replacing the grating that was the floor and striding to peer at the screen. "Ah, here we are! Canziar's coordinates…" he began to go around the control panel. "It'll be a few minutes, the TARDIS has been…ah, well, slow lately. You can take your stuff to a room she's hopefully prepared for you, down that corridor, should be first door to the right."

I blinked, frowning. "The police box has a room for me?"

"The TARDIS," he corrected, "And yes, it should have a room for you, always has a room for everyone. Still has a room for some of my first companions…still has Rose's room up front and Martha's…"

I rolled my eyes as he continued to mutter about rooms and "other companions", following his directions and opening the door to the very first room on the right I came across, my fingers gently touching the door for a moment before twisting the door knob.

I gasped as I opened the door, my eyes widening. "Wow," I breathed.

The room was a lot like my bedroom in my apartment. Everything was black and white, like how I liked logic to be so that it made sense. There was a black desk with a black computer chair, and white laptop on the desk, as well as some of the drawings I'd lost in the past and pencils, anything I wanted for drawing. A black framed bed with white blankets and pillows. The carpet was pure snowy white, and the rug before my black couch was black as well. There was a black bookshelf beside the couch, filled with books that I adored.

And the most interesting thing was the small model of Earth, floating in the center of my room, glowing a soft golden color.

"Hm…most interesting room I've seen so far, and the cleanest by far." The Doctor's voice startled me and I whipped my head around to glower at him irritably as he mused, "Definitely interesting."

"It looks like my room back home…except with some extra things, like nicer markers." I grinned. "And a laptop. Does the police box have Wi-Fi?"

The Doctor snorted. "The _TARDIS_ travels through space and time and has seen some of the most complicated things ever created by other races of being. And you think it does have something as simple as "Wi-Fi"?"

I snickered, striding into my room and tossing my bag onto the bed, pausing by the nightstand to skim my fingers over a picture that I recognized. My eyes softened. "Even this, half burned and everything."

The Doctor leaned against the doorway, glancing at the "lost" drawings on my desk. "More drawings?"

"Ones that disappeared," I explained, picking them up and shuffling through them. "This one," I said, "I remember this one. Flew away in the wind. I cried for days because it was my best as a child."

The Doctor walked over, and I offered it to him to look at. He was astonished at the sketch of the ever familiar blue box, this time with a man in a bowtie and a red haired woman beside him. "How old were you when you drew this? And I don't recognize this guy at all, not a past version of me for sure…"

"I saw the images and I just drew them," I said with a shrug, flopping down on the bed as he went through each and every drawing. Then his words made me frown. "What do you mean "past version"? Do you reincarnate or something?"

"I regenerate," the Doctor replied, "Same man, different face. I suppose it's another form of reincarnation. The idea of reincarnation may have been based off of a Time Lord's ability to regenerate, seeing how Time Lords came first. Hm…never actually thought of that before, I'll have to look into it." He turned his attention back onto the drawing. "Now, it is very possible that this is a future version of me." His eyes grew slightly dark at this. "I've never heard of this before. People don't normally have the ability to see into the futures of others, let alone Time Lords."

"I don't see the future," I said, digging through my bag now. "I just see images and draw them so I don't forget. Although…I could've sworn I drew that stone angel differently."

The Doctor narrowed his eyes, shifting to the picture of the angel, giving a dry smile. "Ah," he mused, "A Weeping Angel. Whatever is the image of an Angel becomes an Angel. I'm sorry to say, but we should get rid of this."

I frowned. "That's my newest one though," I complained, snatching it from him. "One of my best!" I ran my fingers down the now shown face of the "Weeping Angel", pouting. "I don't wanna ruin this one."

"Really though?" the Doctor said, and I was confused until I realized he had moved on, stuffing the picture of the Angel into his pocket to destroy later. I sighed softly. "Why, of all things, a _bowtie_?"

I giggled, my sadness at the loss of my art disappearing at the astonished expression on his face. "Maybe it's just your style in this other version of yourself. Now, what happened to going to that other world? Canziar?"

"Right!" The Doctor exclaimed, "Grab anything you know you'll need and let's be off! Canziar is known for its beautiful colors, mostly bright blues and greens and purples. They've got it backwards from Earth, the skies are a middle shaded red and the oceans are yellow! Taste saltier though, wouldn't advise drinking them."

I chuckled, grabbing my bag and leaping to my feet, grimacing as I pulled my ruined phone and tossed it on the bed. "You owe me a new one," I told him, tone scolding as I tossed my headphones on the bed as well. "It's your fault it shattered. Or the screen did at least."

The Doctor smirked slightly to my surprise. "Taking you throughout time and space isn't enough?"

"Nope!" I said cheekily in response, "I need a phone, too."

"Ah, but right now we're going to go explore the planet of Canziar!" He was back to his excited and cheerful self. "Allons-y, Ali! Hm…quite like the sound of that, almost as good as Alonso…"

I raised an eyebrow. What on earth was he talking about?

**~~OO~~II~~OO~~**

"Welcome to the planet Canziar," the Doctor said cheerfully as he led the way through the busy streets that held more than just human people like me. I was startled by the sheer amount of other species around me. "One of the only planets in the entirety of the universe that isn't entirely dominated by one species specifically but a mixture of many kinds!"

I grinned, looking around. "Wow," I breathed, completely forgetting about the fact that he'd destroyed my drawing not even ten minutes ago. "So many…and to think there are only Martians back on Earth…"

"Ah, yes, the famous Martian," the Doctor said with a snort, rolling his eyes before grabbing my shoulders, steering me towards a massive nearby marketplace. "Come on, there's many different types of food for you to try!"

I made a face at the some of the food I saw people walking by eating, grimacing. "No thanks, I think I'll stick to human Earth food, Doctor. …do they have any of that here?"

"Oh, they've got all sorts of things," the Doctor said in response, grinning as he continued steering me through people, finally pausing in front of a particularly…_bright_ shop. Literally, it seemed to be glowing from the inside and the outside! "One of my personal favorites," he noted. "But humans can't deal with the glow and go blind, even with sunglasses. So we'll head on next door! Quite the good tea if I remember correctly!"

I made a face again. "Think they have sweet tea? Hot tea tastes…weird."

The Doctor gave her a shocked look. "What's wrong with you?" he said with a look of horror. "Sweet tea? Ugh!"

I giggled at his expression, winking. "I don't know about you Londoners," I said, allowing a southern drawl to replace my slowly forming British accent. "But where I'm from, regular tea is a little too…hot."

"Ah, from the south in the United States, hm?" the Doctor mused. "Which state, may I ask?"

I grinned, letting my old southern accent return to my regular one. "Texas. Now, how about that sweet tea? You can get whatever weird food you want, but do they have any sweet tea?"

"Of course they have sweet tea," the Doctor said, a slightly crooked grin on his face as he ran his fingers through his hair. I couldn't help but return the grin with a smile of my own, amused. "They have a special human shop, it's around here somewhere."

We wondered through the streets, and I curiously inspected different people and creatures that went or rode by. There was a woman with long tentacles for hair that shifted and wrapped around her waist to avoid being caught on different things. A man with light blue skin and fangs riding a lumbering buffalo like beast past us. We had just passed a cat woman when the Doctor announced our arrival to the human restaurant, opening the door from me.

"The _Bella Luna_," the Doctor mused. "It's an Italian restaurant. Means "Lovely Moon" or "Beautiful Moon" or "Pretty Moon" or –well, you get the gist. Has fairly good pizza, I will admit. Nobody comes here either, so no wait. It's owned by a pair of Italians who were sent into the past on a different planet by a Weeping Angel."

"Thing I drew and you destroyed?" I questioned.

He nodded. "Yes, that's what sent them here. Good, solid pair. Haven't argued once."

Suddenly, a pretty young woman with blonde hair and green eyes along with skin that started at the top of her head as a pale snowy white and ended as a deep shade of green at her feet. She wore a pretty white dress that matched her perfectly. "How can we help you, sir?"

"Do you sell tea?" the Doctor questioned.

"What kind, sir?" she asked, tilting her head. I narrowed my eyes when she shot me a scoffing look, as if disgusted that someone that looked like I did could exist. Immediately, I knew I didn't like her. "We have tea from many different places."

"Do you have Earth tea?"

"We have Earth tea," the girl confirmed. "What kind would you like?"

"One sweet tea, and one good old hot British tea," the Doctor answered with a grin, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his trench coat, rocking back onto his heels. "To go please, we're travelers and just got here. Doing a bit of exploring."

"Of course, sir," the girl purred in response, beaming at him before slinking off to get our order.

As soon as she had gone, I crossed my arms, scowling after her. "She didn't even notice me!" I complained to the Doctor, who looked over at me.

"The Kirakiin," the Doctor mused, "A race made mostly of women that rely on a few plants to live. A male Kirakiin is born once every year, so the race is fairly…attentive."

"And that one," I retorted, jerking my thumb in the direction the Kirakiin had gone, "Was paying fairly close attention to you."

He looked bewildered. "Was she?"

I groaned. "You," I sighed, "are utterly _blind_."

The Kirakiin soon returned, holding two drinks in her hand, offering one to me with a glare and then offering the other, steaming drink to my fellow "traveler". "Thank you for purchasing here, sir," the Kirakiin purred, and the Doctor blinked, looking startled. He hadn't believed me about it. I snorted, turning towards the door and snapping, "_Come on_, Doctor, we're going to go look around at the shops and stuff, remember?"

He dug in his pockets, stuffing a strange coin into the Kirakiin's hand before nodding a farewell to her and following me outside. "Impatient to look around are we?"

I sighed, slapping my palm to my forehead. "Idiot," I mumbled, "Now, where are we going first? There's a nice looking shop over there."

The Doctor frowned, and then peered over at the shop I'd indicated, silently nodding his agreement. "Bought some stuff there once, came in handy a few days later."

"What kind of stuff?" I said, tilting my head as I ducked past a person that bustled past us, curious. "And what did you use it for."

"Oh, just a few bits of this and that and…stuff." His gaze darkened slightly. "As for using it, that's not something I like to talk about."

"Then I won't ask," I said quickly. "Sorry." Hoping to change the subject, I blinked, peering curiously up at something in the window. "Hey. That's like the Earth floating around my room in the TARDIS."

"Souvenirs," the Doctor explained with a bright smile. "Have one on almost every planet. The TARDIS gave you a limited edition of Earth. Perhaps she thinks you should start collecting one from every planet that isn't Earth that we visit!"

"Just curious," I said faintly, frowning. "How many planets are there?"

"More than you could possibly imagine," the Doctor answered with a smile. "Even I haven't visited all of them quite yet. I've been working on it for years though. So. Want the floating Canziar?"

"We don't have any money," I sighed. "I doubt they'll take any of the money I have…"

"Sure they will," the Doctor replied, "Let's see…six credits? Give me what money you have…" I did as he asked and he began counting out some before handing the rest back, keeping what he had counted out. "Perfect. This should be enough, stay here, I'll be right back!"

When he ducked inside, I smiled slightly, amused, and leaned back against the building to wait for him. While I waited, I looked around in awe again, my eyes softening at all of the people and shops. This was incredible, a chance of a lifetime to be able to come to places like this. I still wasn't sure if it was a dream or not. After all, all of my drawings had turned out to be dreams! What if I was just in a coma or something, dreaming of events that would never happen, just so that I could end up having to draw them all? I sighed unhappily at the thought. That wouldn't be any good…

"Miss?"

I raised my head, startled at the deep voice. I was even more startled when I discovered that a man had stopped, standing before me with an easy going smile on his face, which were covered in small spikes, a golden color. "I…uh…what…um…can I help you?" I finally asked, nervousness making my face flush.

"No, but I was wondering," he replied, cocking his head to the side. I glanced over my shoulder, desperately wanting the Doctor to come back out. I don't know what to do! "Why you are all alone now? I thought that I saw someone with you?"

"There was and there still is," I replied, feeling slightly uneasy about the spiky faced man's questions. "My friend is just inside, purchasing something for me since I didn't want to go inside and miss the nice weather. Is there something I can help you with?"

The man glanced over his shoulder and I immediately prepared to backhand him. But I was saved when the Doctor appeared again, his gaze darkened with a slightly over furious look. "Hello, I believe we have met before?"

"Doctor," the man hissed immediately, recoiling back. He glared at me viciously before turning and vanishing into the crowd.

I shoved my hand through my hair, glancing anxiously at the Doctor with an apologetic look on my face. "I-I didn't…" I stammered, uncertain of what to say when he turned his furious look on me.

But it disappeared in an instant, a smile returning to his face, though it seemed slightly strained. "Oh, wasn't your fault. Forgot to mention that there are a lot of kidnappings in places like this. That was one of the species behind most of it; seem to be intent on having you for some fun. Now, got your little Canziar replica, shall we go back to the TARDIS? Yes? Good, let's go before someone decides to take you right out from under my nose."

I snorted, slightly relieved that I wasn't the one being blamed for what had almost happened. I took the small souvenir he handed me, beaming at the planet that tugged at my grip, fighting to float. "Thanks," I told him gratefully.

"Ah, don't mention it," the Doctor replied cheerfully. "To the TARDIS!" And with that, he was leading me intently through the crowds of the people to where the comforting blue police box awaited for us. As we reached it, I ran my fingers across the old looking blue wood that was the outside of the TARDIS. It hummed happily in my head.

"Doctor?" I asked suddenly, curious.

"Yes?" He called from where he was already messing with the controls within the TARDIS. "What are you doing just hanging around there? Come on, places to go, people to see!"

"I was just wondering," I said slowly as I leaned against the doorway of the TARDIS, resting my head against the old wood. "Why a police box?"

"Chameleon circuit got stuck, used to be able to disguise itself anywhere it went. I quite like the police box form though, possibly my favorite. Yes, most definitely my favorite. Easy to find, easy to see if you can see through the perception filter. Best ship in the universe, only one able to go through both space and time, only one able to go through time at that! Other than vortex manipulators and such as well! Bothersome, they are, have to disable them with my sonic each and every time I find one, particularly with Jack-"

I rolled my eyes, shaking my head as the Doctor continued to babble about things I didn't understand and didn't really want to understand. "Doctor," I finally interrupted when he somehow got himself into a conversation with himself about sonic screwdrivers and their effects on vortex manipulators (whatever the hell that was). "I don't understand a single thing you're saying."

He almost seemed to pout as he shoved a hand through his styled hair. "Oh well," he sighed, "No matter, my technobabble does get out of hand sometimes, so sorry about that. Are you coming in or not?"

"I'm coming, chill out," I muttered, sticking my tongue out at him. He grinned back. I stepped inside, but just as I was about to close the door, a hand closed around my wrist. I cried out in surprise as I was jerked from the inside of the TARDIS and the Doctor immediately whirled around, darting over. "Ali!"

I was startled into silence as the hand released me, and I whipped around, my pounding heart calming down as I realized it was just a woman with tears rolling down her cheeks. "Help," she whispered to me, "Please, Successor, please, you and the Doctor have got to help me! Please!" She gave a broken sob as the Doctor appeared, looking relieved that I was just outside.

"You alright?" He asked. I nodded and we turned our attention on the woman. "What's wrong?"

The woman, one that would've looked human if she didn't have slit-like pupils and a forked tongue that made her hiss with ever sound, gave another sob. "They took my daughter," she cried, "They took her right out of my hands! Please, you've got to save her! She's all I have!"

I was startled by her crying and sob. I gently touched her arm, soothing, "Calm down, miss. We'll get her back for you. Why don't you tell us your name?"

"Katherina," she whimpered, turning her watery, pleading eyes onto the Doctor. "You'll help, right? Please! Please, Doctor!"

The Doctor studied her, and then nodded slowly before asking, "Just curious, how do you know of my name, Katherina?"

"You saved my planet thousands of years ago," Katherina replied. I blinked in surprise at this. "I grew up with stories about you, stories I've shared with my daughter…" she burst into tears again.

"Hey," I murmured, gently hugging the woman. "Why don't you tell us what happened?"

"Yes!" The Doctor agreed immediately, closing and locking the TARDIS doors behind him. He leaned against the wood like I had earlier. "Tell us what happened!"

Katherina fiddled with her hands, her eyes mournful. "I brought my daughter out to the market today to purchase some items she wanted to get for her brother for his living day (the boy's birthday, my ever knowledgeable Time Lord companion would eventually tell me). I told her to stay close because it was so busy…but she was taken, right in front of me. They just grabbed her, and I'll never see her again!"

"Who are they?" I asked patiently, studying her carefully.

"Yes, tell us who they would be," the Doctor agreed, "I can figure out what they might want, what they could possibly need with your daughter and any other person they may have taken, what they may have done with her, and what I can use to get her back."

"The Zaraux took her," Katherina answered, biting her lip.

I blinked in confusion, testing out the name. "Zaraux? That's a…interesting name. What are they?"

"The man that tried to grab you earlier," the Doctor answered me, and then said gravely, "We'll have to figure out where they're hiding the girls first. That could take weeks…"

The TARDIS hummed as I moved over to touch the wood, closing my eyes and focusing on my thoughts. It hit me, and I turned to the Doctor, a determined look set on my face. "I have an idea."

"No," the Doctor replied without looking at me.

"I didn't even tell you what it is!" I cried.

"No, you're not going to let yourself get grabbed and kidnapped and no, you cannot come with when I go searching, you will be staying here."

"Please?" I pleaded, touching his arm. He finally glanced at me, and I felt my expression soften. "Doctor, I'll be careful. Please. By the time you find them, it could be too late. Get me a way to communicate with you, make one. I can let you know where to go and what's happening at any second of the time. Trust me."

The Doctor narrowed his eyes. "No, Ali," he said, his tone final. "I've had this happen before with another companion, and it's not going to happen with you. You will stay in the TARDIS and monitor her."

I glared at him. "I want to help!"

"And you will! By watching the TARDIS and making sure she's still awake while we're out searching!" the Doctor snapped back. "I'll get you a communicator, just like you said, and you can keep me updated on the TARDIS. Katherina can stay to keep you company."

"Doctor!"

"I'm not," he said with a sharp tone, "listening to anything you have to say about this subject. You agreed to come with me, Alissa Levine-" Ouch. Full name. "-And you're going to listen to me and _stay in the TARDIS_!"

I glared at him for a few moments, and then huffed. I crossed my arms, turning and stalking over to the lock, which I caressed with gentle fingers. To my surprise, it clicked open. I didn't have the key! Not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth, I shot him a final angry look before storming into the TARDIS.

**~~OO~~II~~OO~~**

It wasn't long before Katherina had joined me in the TARDIS, her slit eyes gleaming anxiously. "The Doctor will save my daughter, won't he?" she fretted for the fifty millionth time.

"Yes," I gritted out, "He'll do his best. He can't guarantee anything. Remember?"

"I know," Katherina admitted. "I'm worried for her. She's only nine years old, a mere girl. She needs me. She must be scared…how can a child not be scared when their mother can't help?"

An image flashed before my mind. Screaming and crying, the smell of food. A familiar restaurant. Then it vanished.

_"My Girl," _a voice, the one I had now dubbed as THE Voice, whimpered in my head. _"You are not alone, My Thief is not alone, and the girl is not alone. Go. She cries."_

I looked around me in surprise.

The Voice had shown me what I needed to see.

"I'm going out," I declared suddenly, shooting to my feet. Katherina scrambled after me as I headed to the corridor, calling to the TARDIS, "Do me a favor, and give me whatever weapons you can…preferably small guns and throwing knives!"

The TARDIS hummed, the rooms shifting before my eyes until I stood before a door. I pushed it open, ducking in with Katherina behind me. "The Doctor," she protested.

"He doesn't know where she is," I scoffed. "I do. I know where to find your daughter. I want you to keep an eye on the screen out in the control room. If the Doctor contacts you, tell him I'm just sulking in my room, alright?"

Katherina bit her lip. "But, Successor-"

"What does that mean?" I asked, interrupting her with a soft tone. "The Successor?" I loaded up on two pistols, a strange laser gun I tried out on a wall, and a couple dozen throwing knives.

What? I liked my knives. And I needed to protect myself!

"That is what we call you, the Doctor's true companion," Katherina answered, "The Successor."

"So it's just a name?"

"Yes. Just a name."

I smiled. "Good. Now, remember what I said," I told her, taking her back to the control room. I hid my weapons beneath my jacket, heading for the doors. "I'll be back with Selentha soon." With that, I stepped out of the TARDIS.

Screw what the Doctor thought about me needing to stay in the TARDIS.

That woman's family was more important than me.

After all, I knew how it felt to have nobody left.

**~~OO~~II~~OO~~**

**A/N: AND…the second chapter! I had fun with it actually! :3 Kind of disappointed, I will admit, that there have been no reviews, but I'm not going to give up! Hope you enjoyed! And I certainly hope I got the Doctor's personality okay…**


	4. Canziar: Part II

**((Canziar: Part II))**

**~~OO~~II~~OO~~**

I groaned softly as I began to slip into consciousness, grimacing as my head pounded. What the hell had happened? The last thing I could remember was leaving the TARDIS…

A soft hand touching my head caught my attention, and I raised my gray eyes to the young girl with slit pupils above me, her eyes gleaming anxiously. "Are you alright, miss?" she said anxiously, and I blinked at her.

"Yeah," I rasped, sitting up and quickly running my fingers through my thick hair. The knife I had stashed in it (yeah, yeah, I stashed a knife in my hair) was still there. That was good, since the rest of my weapons had been taken. "Where are we?" _And what exactly happened?_

"I do not know," the young girl replied, her eyes becoming frightened. "We were taken from the streets, miss."

I struggled to think of what had happened. Last thing I remembered was leaving the TARDIS (the Doctor was going to _kill_ me for this) and then… My eyes widened and I mentally face palmed. That's right. I'd been walking down the road and someone had slammed something into the back of my head, knocking me out.

Remember my whole plan to rescue and save the little girl and maybe others? Yeah, not such a plan any more. More like failing the whole thing.

It hit me. "Is your name Selentha?"

The little girl who was gently touching my head looked startled, nodding. "Yes, miss, that's my name. I am called Selentha."

"Ali, call me Ali," I muttered, then said, "Your mother is looking for you. So is my friend. We'll get out of here, I promise."

Selentha looked scared suddenly, her eyes locking on a point over my shoulder and I whipped around, expression already dark when I discovered a Zaraux peering in. Immediately I shot to my feet, glaring at him through the glass that separated us. "Let us go!"

The Zaraux took on a sneering look. "So you're awake Successor." There was that damn name again! He turned to another Zaraux that had appeared beside him. "Tell Corlaka that it's time to leave. The Successor is with us, well and alive, thank our King. I'll take care of the brat."

Within the matter of a few moments, I had my knife free of my hair, pointing it at my own throat and very nearly managing to catch myself with the blade. I cursed silently at myself for that. "What do you want with me?" It seemed kind of stupid to point a knife at myself, but…hey! They wanted me alive, what better thing to do?

Selentha gave a worried hiss and I added, "Whatever you want, I'll do. But you have to let me make sure that the girl is safe. The Doctor can help, too. He will, I know he will."

The first cast a look at the second, who gave a curt nod. "The girl will be spared," the second declared, eying Selentha with a look of distaste. I smoothed her hair with one hand, tossing my knife aside as I told them, "You have to let me go with her to get her to her mother. I'll come right back. If I don't, you can kill both of us."

The first hissed. "You may not leave the ship."

I raised my chin as I bit my lip. Okay, so we were on a ship. That's a good start. "Alright. Alright, then. Selentha, you go with them, alright?" I told her, kneeling beside the young girl. "They'll take you to your mother." I leaned closer with a wink, murmuring in her ear, "You heard them. We're on a _ship_. Tell the Doctor," she shot me a questioning look and I explained, "Strange man in a suit with a police box helping your mother. Tell the Doctor that he's looking for a hidden ship, alright?"

Selentha nodded, and I beamed. "Good girl. Now go with them."

The second Zaraux waved the young snake-girl forward, through the glass, and I was startled when she simply stepped through. The glass materialized and I bit my lip, nervous. As the second moved off with Selentha, I squared my shoulders and asked the first Zaraux, "What do you need with me? Because I'll willingly help you as long as nobody dies."

The Zaraux looked hesitant to speak and I urged gently, "I'm a friend. Just as long as you don't kill anyone. Tell me what you need and I will do my best to help."

"Our home," the Zaraux said slowly, looking anxious as if he was giving too much information away. "Our home is being destroyed. We need the Successor to fix it."

I blinked. "What's your name?"

"Xarka."

"Xarka. Got it. Okay, what is your home being destroyed by, Xarka?" I asked. If I had learned anything when being caught and questioned by the police as a kid, it was to keep talking. It would definitely help me. "'Cause I'm not a powerful super being or anything. I'm…me. A regular human."

"You are the Successor," Xarka insisted. "You will help. We have heard the stories. The Successor will help anyone, no matter what they have done! You are the Successor!"

"I'm human!" I snapped, throwing my hands into the air out of exasperation. "I don't know what you think I can do, but I'm just _human_!"

Xarka was now glaring at me, and I glared right back instead of backing down as I probably should have. I sighed. "If you tell me what it is," I said, shoving a hand through my hair. "I'll try to help you. I can't guarantee I'll be able to, but I will _try_, okay?"

He hesitated, and then said, "The Sontarans. They think we did something to aggravate them enough for an entire battle. The Zaraux have fought many wars lately. We don't _want_ to. We've heard you can reason with anything. So…can you reason with them? Make them see we didn't do anything?"

"I'll try," I promised with a gentle smile. "But there's a couple things you need to do first. I'll need to get out of this…cage for one. And I'll need to contact the Doctor, let him know what I'm doing."

"No," a new voice said, and I raised my head, surprised when Xarka bowed his head, murmuring, "Corlaka". "You may come out, but you cannot contact the Doctor. He destroys."

"He tries to help," I said firmly. Not that I was certain. I'd been with the guy for less than a day. "Please."

Corlaka looked uncertain before sighing, waving a hand. The glass disappeared and I stepped out of the "cage", looking around the place curiously. Definitely a ship. "Are we moving?"

She nodded. "Yes, we are on our way to my planet. I am Corlaka, the queen of the Zaraux. And with my permission," she hesitated, then finished, "You may contact the Time Lord."

**~~OO~~II~~OO~~**

"So…it's like a projection that will contact the TARDIS and let me speak to and hear any people inside the TARDIS?" I asked as a few Zaraux scrambled around, setting the machinery needed up.

Corlaka nodded, pursing her lips. Her orange eyes gleamed anxiously. "You must be certain the Doctor will not destroy my people."

"I am," I promised, then turned my attention to the projected screen before me as it popped up; revealing the Doctor's angry face that soon became annoyed. I flushed, knowing what was coming.

_"Alissa Levine!"_ he scolded, _"I told you to stay in the TARDIS and now look where you are because you didn't do what I told you to!"_

"Hey!" I pointed out, "I'm perfectly safe, and they don't want to kill me. First things first, is Selentha with Katherina?" He shifted slightly, revealing the mother leading her daughter out of the police box, and I beamed. "Good. Means I can trust them. Now, they're not bad-"

_"They've been kidnapping people,"_ the Doctor pointed out, wary now. _"Children. I've given the Zaraux a chance when they did it on another planet. I don't give second chances, Ali."_

Corlaka stepped forward, narrowing her eyes as she shot the Doctor a piercing glare. She waved at me. "We needed the Successor, Doctor, so we only took a few people that have all been returned safely now. We needed to lure her to us, that is it. We were trying to do the same last time, but you hadn't met her yet."

_"Why?"_

I piped back up. "They're under attack from the Sontaran, whatever those are. They said I can apparently reason with them."

The Doctor's face darkened. _"Bring her back right now, Corlaka, she's human. Nobody can reason with the Sontaran, they're almost as bad as the Daleks. Remember those?"_

"That is why she will reason with them," Corlaka insisted. "She is no longer of your concern, Doctor, she is the Successor. She is the concern of the universe. We will keep her safe."

The Doctor looked just as shocked and surprised as I felt. _"I see. If you'd give me coordinates as to where you currently are, I-"_

"You are not boarding my ship, Doctor, wherever you go, destruction follows," Corlaka hissed, and I winced. Wow. They really didn't like the Doctor.

He was silent. Then he said with a sigh, _"Fine, fine. Now, Ali, listen to me. The Sontaran believe combat is everything. You'll need to convince them otherwise, tell them they don't need to fight with the Zaraux. I'll try and help as much as I can, but I can't guarantee anything. I need to go now, try and find out where you are,"_he ignored the furious look Corlaka shot him, _"Listen to me, Ali. Be careful."_

I smiled. Despite probably getting myself kicked off the police box, he was obviously worried. Good for me. "I'll do my best to not get myself killed, Doctor. Good luck." I glanced over my shoulder at the fuming Corlaka and grinned. "Have fun getting past her."

The Doctor's own face broke into a grin and then the communication shut off.

"So," I said, turning to face Corlaka and propping my feet on another seat. "How long until we get to your planet?"

"Another hour at the most," she admitted.

"Is there any way we can contact the Sontaran before we get there?" I said, becoming serious now. "Like we just did with the Doctor?"

"Yes," Corlaka said nervously, "We can. Would you like us to request communication, Successor?"

"Yes," I said firmly, "And my name's Ali. I don't know why everyone's calling me the Successor, but my name is Alissa Levine, and I go by Ali. So call me Ali, please. That Successor name is getting on my nerves."

A Zaraux chuckled, and I felt my own lips tilt up in a grin, hiding my nerves. There was no way I was going to be able to reason with a war hungry group of aliens I had never seen before. I watched silently, sitting back in my seat and pulling on a mask of calmness as the Zaraux set to work on pulling up another communication way.

And then some new face popped up. I had to fight the urge seriously hard to laugh. They looked like walking potatoes with angry faces! "You are the Sontaran, right?"

The Sontaran on the screen glared at me through narrowed eyes. _"I am Staask."_

"Good, good," I said, "Staask. Nice to meet you. Now," I paused and made a face. I sounded exactly like the Doctor! "Staask. What did the Zaraux do to you to make you think they deserve a full out war? They're a peaceful species, they said so themselves."

_"Sontarans do not answer to pathetic humans,"_ Staask boasted proudly, _"Let the Zaraux speak for themselves."_

Corlaka stepped forward, her face full of anger that made me cringe away. "How dare you talk this way? This human girl is the Successor!"

Staask looked shocked for a moment, and then furious the next. _"You have the Successor on your ship and you do not kill her? She is the true companion of the Doctor! Destroy her!"_

I felt my eyes widen. And not just out of surprise by the malice in the Sontaran's tone. There was that name and title again! "What do you guys mean by true companion-"

I was cut off as Corlaka said coldly, "You were threatening my people, Sontaran. I required the assistance of the Successor to save them. Leave us alone and nothing will happen."

"Hold on just a second!" I cried, interrupting. "I thought I was only going to _reason_ with them, not fight them!"

"You will fight if necessary, Successor," Corlaka said, turning her orange eyes on me. "You will fight if I say we fight."

"I came here to reason, not to fight," I repeated. "I'm not into the whole fighting thing, Corlaka, I'm not going to help you if you start fighting. I thought you said you were a peaceful people!"

"Mere words," she said simply, "We needed you to help us. My people are a peaceful people. Until provoked. Then we fight with the ferocity of our King."

_"Destroy her!"_ Staask repeated, glaring at me, _"Destroy her and we will leave you alone!"_ With that, the communication shut off.

I swallowed. Not what I had been planning. "Call the Doctor," I demanded furiously to Corlaka, "You call him right now! I'm not helping you _fight_! I want to go back!"

"No," she said briskly, "You will help us, Successor, and if the only way is to kill you, then so be it."

"I promised I'd _try_ and help you!" I cried, fear making its way up my throat and making me voice crack. "I don't want to fight! I said I'd talk! Please, call the Doctor again, let me go back! We'll help you get out of this without fighting! Please."

I was happily relieved when she actually paused to consider what I was saying. Finally, she opened her mouth to speak. But then she was cut off when a blaring suddenly exploded throughout the ship we were on and her face took on a scared look. "Corlaka!" one of the Zaraux cried, "Sontaran ship approaching! They're cutting us off! The communications with home have been cut off!"

Corlaka whirled around to face them. "Shields up!" she barked. "Successor, you may call upon the Doctor. But if he destroys my ship or home, you will be the first to die."

I nodded eyes serious. "Of course."

"Pull up the communications, contact the Doctor!" she cried, and I darted back to my seat, prepared to talk with the Doctor.

**~~OO~~II~~OO~~**

I shifted impatiently as I watched aliens (well, the Zaraux) run around in a panic, gathering weapons in case they were needed. Corlaka was in the midst of it all, commanding her soldiers and people what to do, ordering me to stay where I was and out of her way. I bit my lip, glancing around and listening intently for the sound of the TARDIS, but didn't hear anything.

The Doctor, once being given the coordinates, had promised to get there within minutes. And he wasn't doing well on his timing, I noted. I'd have to complain about that later. Once we were alive and I had apologized about not being in the TARDIS.

Finally, I heard the familiar sounds of the time machine, and I beamed, leaping to my feet as the TARDIS began to appear. Half of the Zaraux froze, pointing guns at the police box as the Doctor stepped out slowly, eyes wary. He raised his hands, looking around before finally seeing me.

I grinned, darting over and throwing my arms around his neck, relieved to see someone who wouldn't consider killing me. "Doctor! You took forever!"

He grinned, relaxing as the Zaraux lowered their guns and returning the hug before pulling back, scolding, "And you were supposed to be in the TARDIS."

I flushed in response. "Hey, you wouldn't let me help," I pointed out, "If you'd let me come with you, I wouldn't have been kidnapped, even if it was my plan."

Corlaka cleared her throat, glaring slightly at the Doctor as she stepped forward. "I apologize to interrupt this…reunion, but my ship is about to be attacked by a Sontaran ship."

"Right!" the Doctor cried, abandoning me in favor of darting over to examine the projector that had shown the communication screen. He pulled his sonic screwdriver out, pointed it at the projector and pressed the button, watching intently and sliding a pair of black glasses on as he examined the projection showed up. It was obviously our ship and then, not too far off, was another shape of the same. The Sontaran ship. "Let's see…they're obviously aggressive…"

As the Doctor began to talk urgently with Corlaka, I frowned, turning my attention on the TARDIS. It gave a soft groan from the open door and I gently stroked the wood while closing the door, smiling as the Voice said tiredly,_ "My Thief asks much…"_

It hit me right then and there.

That voice was the TARDIS, speaking to me in my head. I don't know why I hadn't thought of it before! "I'll make sure he doesn't ask so much again," I told her, my eyes softening when the TARDIS gave another groan. A feeling of gratitude swelled in me, and I smiled. Someone had to take care of the TARDIS.

"Ali!" The Doctor's voice startled me out of my silent talk with the TARDIS. "Get over here, please!"

I turned away, hurrying over. He tossed his sonic screwdriver at me, and I nearly dropped it as I caught it, surprised. "What are you giving me this for?" I demanded.

"Take that and hold onto it," the Doctor instructed without looking up, "The frequencies are set already, so don't worry about that. If I tell you to use it, use it. Press the button and hold onto it until I say stop, got it?"

I nodded, eyes determined. "Got it," I replied, smiling reassuringly at him. If this was all he was giving me to do, I was certain that I would be able to get it right. "Doctor," I said suddenly.

"Yes?" He replied glancing up finally.

"They keep calling me the Successor," I said hesitantly, "Do you know-" I was cut off as the ship shook violently and I very nearly went sprawling, managing to stay upright as I clung to a seat.

The Doctor expertly grasped the machine he was working on, waiting until the shaking had stopped, then continued to work furiously as Corlaka cried, "They're attacking! Successor, you promised you'd help!"

"We're working on it!" I snapped, looking desperately at the Doctor. "Tell me what I need to do," I pleaded. "Don't make me just stand here and do nothing. I can help, just tell me what to do Doctor!"

The Doctor hesitated, and then said briskly, "Make sure you don't lose my sonic. Need that. Go into the TARDIS. Move that piece of flooring I did earlier before we came to Canziar. Down there, there should be a light. I want you to go down there and press that light, then come back up and look at the screen. It should read information about the Sontaran ship, what kind of it is, that stuff."

I broke into a relieved grin. I'd been worried for a moment. I thought he was giving me a useless job, but I supposed the type of ship was important…but just to make sure… "You promise this is important?"

"I swear," he replied, shooting me a firm look and a brief grin. "I apologize about not letting you come with me; I realize that was a mistake. This is important, and I don't have the time or trust anyone else to do this."

I nodded, satisfied with the answer, and then took off for the TARDIS, realizing a moment later I didn't have a key. I gently touched the lock, pleading softly, "Can you open for me? Please?"

_"Anything for My Girl,"_ the TARDIS responded eagerly, the door swinging open.

I shot inside, immediately tucking the sonic screwdriver into my jacket's pocket. Then I looked along the grated floor, grimacing. "A little help?" A light appeared in one of the gratings and I beamed. "Thanks." I walked over, hauling the grating out of the floor and hopping down, looking around the surprisingly large area. Huh. Guess this was bigger, too.

"Light," I mumbled, "Where's the light?"

_"Left, my Girl, your left,"_ the TARDIS whispered to me, voice urgent, _"Hurry, the ship approaches."_

"Thanks," I repeated, darting over and pressing the light. Oh my gosh, I must have looked insane. I was talking to myself while pressing buttons in a bigger-on-the-inside time machine called the TARDIS after traveling around with a Time Lord known as the Doctor.

I hauled myself back out of the bottom of the TARDIS, gently replacing the grating and moving to check the screen. Just as the Doctor had said, there was a ship appearing on the screen. I blinked in confusion as writing showed up in strange circle-like ways. "What is that?"

_"Gallifreyan,"_ the TARDIS mused in my head.

"Ah, Gallifreyan, whatever that is," I mumbled. I walked over to the doors and peered out; grimacing when I discovered Corlaka was in the middle of an argument with a Sontaran. They appeared to have communicated with us, or we with them, again. The Doctor was off to the side, making sure to be nowhere near visible so that he could listen intently. I closed the TARDIS doors, walking over to him and saying softly, "I did what you said. I can't read anything."

"That's alright," he murmured back, eyes locked on the conversation in front of us. "I needed that up just in case we don't get out of this fighting. Ugh. Everyone and their love of guns." He made a face and I giggled, shaking my head. "Now, what were you asking earlier?"

I paused, and then shook my head. "Doesn't matter all that much, I'll ask you later," I replied, giving a small sigh. "Anything new happen?"

He glanced at me, his face grim. "The Sontaran contacted the Zaraux again," he told me, "And they said that they would leave the Zaraux alone..."

"There's a "but" there," I noted with a sigh. "Let me guess. They wanted the end of the all-powerful Successor."

The Doctor's gaze darkened. "Corlaka is considering it," he said, picking his words carefully. "We may have to leave without being able to help them. If killing you is the only way to stop another for the Zaraux, then the Sontaran can have them."

"Doctor," I protested, my gaze becoming unhappy.

"You're obviously important in the future," he said firmly. "I don't know why, but you're important, Alissa-" I glared at him for calling me that name, I preferred Ali. "-and if you're important enough that the entirety of the Sontaran want to kill you and the Zaraux want you alone to help them, then you can't be killed. For all we know, you may be a fixed point in time."

I furrowed my brow. "Fixed point in time?"

"Whatever happens to you _has_ to happen," he explained, "Or the universe begins to destroy itself."

I bit my lip, not happy with this discovery. "I don't like the sound of that," I mumbled.

"Neither do I," he admitted. He suddenly glanced up and I did the same, discovering Corlaka approaching. Crossing his arms, the Doctor said, "What's your decision?" His tone was sharp. "You can't kill her. She's your successor after all."

Corlaka looked horrified at the idea. "She's not just any successor, and she's certainly not ours. She's _the _Successor. She's the most important girl in the entirety of the universe, Doctor. But yes, we have come to a decision."

I pursed my lips, slightly irritated. Since when were people allowed to start deciding my fate? "And it is?"

A dozen Zaraux suddenly appeared behind her, guns raised. My face paled. "We have come to a decision," the queen of the Zaraux repeated. Corlaka's eyes flashed with a slight guilt. "And my people come first to me. We will do as the Sontaran wish. We will kill the Successor."

**~~OO~~II~~OO~~  
**

**A/N: Terrible chapter. x_x Not proud of this, but whatever. Hope you enjoyed! **

**K-star: **Thanks! ^_^


	5. Canziar: Part III

**((Canziar: Part III))**

**~~OO~~II~~OO~~**

The Doctor gave a rare curse, swearing under his breath as he raised his hands, though not in the surrendering way he had done earlier when stepping out of the TARDIS. This was more of a way in hopes to pacify the bristling Zaraux so that we could talk. I did the same, though it was surrender for me. I didn't want to die. Not yet, thanks! "Perhaps," the Doctor said slowly, "We can convince you to come to another decision?"

"There are no other decisions." Corlaka sounded mournful, and I frowned, studying her face. There was a soft hum at the back of my mind, the TARDIS trying to tell me something. But I was too far away for the old police box to form words in my head. Ignoring the hum, I noted that Corlaka didn't seem happy. Far from it. She didn't want to kill me, I could tell, she was horrified at the thought. But she was going to do it anyways, because her people and her family were in danger.

I became thoughtful at this.

She wasn't just threatening me and the Doctor –no, not the Doctor. She just wanted to kill me so that everyone would get left alone. She wasn't threatening me for just any reason. She wanted to kill me so her family and friends and people would be safe from the attacking Sontarans.

I felt for her. She had to choose between the death of everyone from her home and ship or saving them and killing me, the Successor and an innocent (self-declared innocence might I add) person in this deadly game between the Sontarans and the Zaraux.

If I wasn't so desperate to find out what being the Successor actually was, I wouldn't really mind. My life for a whole species doesn't seem all that important. But, as the Doctor said, if my death would cause the universe to collapse…not cool.

I focused back on the situation at hand.

"Tell us why they want her to die," the Doctor was demanding, gaze narrowed. "Why Alissa Levine of all people? Why not any of your other prisoners?"

I nodded, agreeing. "Yes, why me?"

Corlaka's firm gaze faltered, her eyes widening with surprise. "You don't know," she whispered. "You don't know what it means to be the Successor."

I groaned. "I've been trying to ask anyone who calls me that for the last who knows how long!" I snapped irritably. "Tell us!"

Corlaka backed away, beckoning for her soldiers to put their weapons down, gasping, "We can't kill her. It is too early for even her to die." She glanced at the Doctor, rasping, "The Doctor and the Successor haven't reached that point in time yet. We cannot say. My people…they're going to die!"

"Why can't you say?" the Doctor asked gently, trying to calm the panicking queen down. "Why can't you tell us what it means?"

A humming filled my mind again, and I glanced over my shoulder at the TARDIS, hushing under my breath, "Not now." I focused back on the Doctor and Corlaka, growing irritated. "Tell me," I pleaded. "You're the third species to call me it, I want to know!"

Corlaka shuddered. "My people will be severely punished by the Shadow Proclamation," she whimpered.

The Doctor sucked in a breath, rocking back onto his heels. "So not only are you a fixed point yourself," he said, and I blinked as I realized he was talking to me. "But the moment we find out what being the Successor means is also a fixed point." He examined my face curiously. "Just what are you?"

A slurred jumbling mess filled my ears before I could reply with a sarcastic tone, and I turned to face the TARDIS as it moaned, a door flying open. The Doctor was racing over in an instant, crying excitedly, "She found something! Good old girl!"

I was about to scramble after him, but paused, a thought running through my mind. Twirling around to face Corlaka, I said, "Tell the Sontaran you killed me. If they ask for proof, say your guns dissolved my body. I'm pretty sure some kind of alien gun can do that anyways."

Corlaka looked fearful. "And you will leave?"

"I don't know. When they contact you, say you did," I said with a shrug, then slid into the TARDIS behind the Doctor, closing the door. The TARDIS gave an angry spark and I winced, rubbing at my arm. "Ow."

The Time Lord snorted in amusement. "She's upset with you." He glanced up with a grin; black frames perched on his nose, having been looking at the screen that had rapidly changing circular symbols that I recognized as Gallifreyan. "The Sontarans are planning to contact the ship within in the next few moments. We're leaving."

"I figured as much," I muttered, taking a seat.

_"I called out for you,"_ the TARDIS scolded crossly in my mind, _"You are just as bad as my Thief! My Girl is bad at listening to me."_

I rolled my eyes as the TARDIS gave another spark, but the Doctor gave a cheer, patting the console. When I shot him a strange look, he explained, "She's been slow lately. She's acting more like herself right now; I'm hoping it stays that way."

I blinked. "The police box," I ignored the way the said machine hissed in annoyance at me, "is just a time machine, isn't it? You're acting like-"

"Oh, the TARDIS isn't just a time machine," the Doctor interrupted with a wink, flicking a switch. "She's got a soul and heart, too. Just not like you and me. Well," he paused, correcting himself. "Bit different there, I've got two hearts-" I gaped at him "-but back to the point! She's alive in her own kind of way."

_"Listen to my Thief,"_ the TARDIS said smugly, _"he speaks only the truth."_

I snorted softly. "Why's he called a thief?" I asked under my breath, curious yet not wanting the Doctor to hear me talking to myself. The TARDIS obviously didn't seem to talk to him like it spoke to me and I didn't want to seem insane or something.

_"He ran away with me,"_ the police box said simply. _"And I with him."_

Like that made any sense. "Alright, so the TARDIS is alive. Now," I paused, picking my words carefully. "We're not just going to leave the Zaraux to deal with the Sontarans, are we? I mean, they didn't shoot us, so…we can't just leave them to be killed."

"We won't," the Doctor reassured, "We're going to see what we can do back on Canziar from the TARDIS."

"What if we can't do anything?" I asked curiously tilting my head. The Doctor was silent, and I understood immediately, biting my lip. "Oh. Well then," I mumbled, "We'll try our best, let's get hurrying and do what we can."

"I can't save everyone," the Doctor said, eyes grim as he studied the screen, glancing at me out of the corner of his eyes, which were still framed by his black glasses. The Doctor removed said glasses from his face, running a hand through his hair with a distressed expression as the slightly quivering TARDIS, which had obviously been making our journey nowhere near as bumpy as before, landed and relaxed with a happy hum. "I try, I do my best. But sometimes, you just can't save them, or they don't want to be saved."

"They want our help," I told him, reassuringly smiling. "So if we can't save them, it's not our fault. We'll have to move on." I then patted his arm and moved to peek out the doors of the TARDIS with a thoughtful hum myself, copying the TARDIS. "We're back where we were. So let's get to work."

The Doctor blinked, obviously surprised by what I had said, and I mentally laughed at the shock on his face as I waited patiently for him to tell me what to do. Shaking his head to clear it, he said, "Remember that job I gave you earlier?" I nodded. "I want you to go back into the space and turn it off. While you're doing that, I'm going to go look in storage for something that we might need..."

He disappeared on the other side of the console, removing a set of grating with a grunt before disappearing into the floor of the TARDIS. I carefully removed the grating that I had moved earlier as well, hopping into the hole it left. "Show me where the light is please?" I said hopefully. The TARDIS hummed, and the light appeared in front of me. "You moved it?"

_"You are a lazy one, my Girl,"_ the TARDIS grumbled.

I giggled, turning off the light as I had been told. I hauled myself back out of the massive underbelly of the TARDIS, replaced the grated floor, and then moved over to peer into "storage". My jaw dropped at the massive drop, at lead twenty feet down. "Doctor?" I called down.

"Come on down!" he called back. I carefully lowered myself down, using a ladder that had appeared. Then I examined the area around me, blinking at all the things perfectly lined along walls, neatly organized. The Doctor was down at the end of the long room, examining some device. He grinned, waving me over. "This," he said, offering me the device in his hand, "is what I was looking for."

Carefully holding the device, I examined it before handing it back, curious. "What is it exactly?"

He winked. "Time Lord technology. Not much of it left anywhere at any time in the universe. This is one of the last quick teleportation devices that can transport us from wherever to here if we wanted. If I set the coordinates to where the TARDIS is now, we can get the Sontaran's attention, allow the Zaraux to get home and warn the other Zaraux, and somehow destroy the Sontaran ship without getting anyone hurt?"

I bit my lip. "We're going to kill them?"

"It's the only thing we can do with the Sontaran," the Doctor said gently, tucking the device under one arm and heading for the ladder to climb out. "Trust me. They don't listen to reasoning. I've tried to reason with them before and it didn't go well."

I sighed, watching him climb the ladder before following him up, helping him replace the heavy piece of grating as I replied, "You tried. I haven't gotten to just yet. Let me try."

The Doctor cast a glance at me, eyes narrowed. "You could get killed, so I don't think you should," he said thoughtfully. I frowned. But then he added, "With the way people have been treating you, however, it could be worth a shot. We should work out something for you to say first."

I silently nodded my agreement, my gray eyes thoughtful. "Perhaps," I said slowly. "We do this…"

**~~OO~~II~~OO~~**

I stepped out of the TARDIS, greeted with an array of guns. Wincing, I crossed my arms and told the Zaraux, "Let me talk to Corlaka. I have an idea."

"The last time you had an idea," Corlaka said coldly as she strode forward, "your idea didn't help."

"I think this one will, though," I said honestly. I tapped the item on my wrist and then another further up my arm with a grin. "Trust me, the Doctor and I worked on this plan together," I told her, smiling. "We wouldn't have even stopped here unless it was necessary. The Doctor can't get through to the Sontaran, so I need to borrow your communication line to talk to them."

Corlaka gave me a suspicious look and I beamed. "Set up the communications," Corlaka ordered a Zaraux beside her, still watching me through narrowed eyes. "Contact the Sontaran; send a message telling them that the Successor wishes to contact them."

"I'll be right back," I told her with a gentle smile. "I need to go through the details of our plan with the Doctor. I stepped back into the TARDIS, rolling my eyes when the time machine gave a sigh of relief in my head. "So far they're agreeing," I said with a smile.

"Good," the Doctor responded, using his sonic screwdriver to fix up the last bits of a simple flat device in his hand. "Plant this in the Sontaran ship when we get aboard. Make sure to tell Corlaka to get as far as possible from the Sontarans. Remember, as soon as this thing hits the ground, it has less than ten seconds before it implodes. Alright? You'll have less than ten seconds to teleport back into the TARDIS." I nodded, biting my lip nervously. The Doctor gave me a reassuring smile. "You'll be alright, I promise."

"I better be alright," I retorted, "Bre, Drevan, Michael and Mandy will kill you otherwise."

"…don't know who they are, but I'll make sure to avoid them," the Doctor mused with a laugh. He became serious, glancing up at me through the dark frames he wore once again. "Be careful, Ali. It's important that you don't die. I don't know why, but if you are a fixed point, you can't die here. Unless this is the fixed point, but I seriously doubt that." He grinned, examining the device, handing it to me. I tucked it in my pocket. "Now, out you go. I'll be in here, waiting for you to teleport back."

I adjusted the teleport device on my wrist with a nod. "Good. 'Because _I _will personally kill you if you abandon me."

He snorted in amusement, waving at the teleportation device. "That thing has where the TARDIS is and will go next. We'll be there waiting for you. Besides," he glared at the smugly humming TARDIS, still in a good way at the moment, though I could feel the energy fading slowly. "I doubt the TARDIS would let me go anywhere. She can be stubborn."

I patted the console. "Good. I'll be back then." Bidding a temporary goodbye to my friend, I ducked out of the TARDIS, striding over to where Corlaka had set up the communications. Just as I stepped up to her side, my arms crossed and becoming serious, a Sontaran's face appeared. Immediately it glowered at me, and I quickly spoke before it could, inwardly grimacing as I heard the sounds of the TARDIS moving. That meant I would be meeting him on Canziar. "Alright, so you guys wanna kill me."

_"It would be our pleasure if the Zaraux won't,"_ the Sontaran said with a strange look of happiness. I tried not to laugh. _"The Sontarans would be known for the destruction of the Successor!"_

I narrowed my eyes. "You'll leave the Zaraux alone?"

_"Yes."_

I smiled. "Good. How do I get to your ship?" Then I mentally groaned as the Sontaran gave me a suspicious look. I was being too eager to "die"! "I'd rather get this over with before I lose my nerve and attempt to make a run for it," I added hastily. "The Zaraux are worth more than me anyways."

Corlaka gasped. "Successor-"

I shot her a look, replying briskly, "You need to get home."

She jerked in surprise, and one of her soldiers hissed in annoyance at my tone. I merely smirked, turning my attention back to the Sontaran. "Well?" I challenged. "What are you waiting for?" All I had to do was drop the little flat device and disappear.

What could be so hard about dropping a flat device that would make a ship implode and teleporting out?

**~~OO~~II~~OO~~**

I allowed the Sontaran to continue proudly declaring how the Sontarans would be the ones to destroy the all-powerful "Successor". Key word there, may I add. _Allowed_. Ugh, who am I kidding, I thought, if I tell him to shut up, he'll shoot me with that damn gun. And what a gun that was, nearly as long as my arm, edged with something I didn't think would be safe to touch. Finally, I interrupted impatiently, hands shoved in my pockets, "I hate to interrupt your whole "we, the all-powerful destroyers of the Successor" speech, but where are we going?"

The Sontaran scowled at me, obviously annoyed but going silent, refusing to tell me where we were going. Worked for me, I was tired of his seriously annoying voice. _Nothing_ was more annoying than a Sontaran, I decided. Most people, placed in my situation, would be worried and nervous, maybe even scared. But of course I, the stupid woman I am, was the complete opposite, more annoyed and impatient to get this over with.

I messed with the bomb in my pocket carefully, not wanting to accidentally be screwed by setting it off. I sighed, muttering to myself. What's wrong with me, not setting it off here and getting away? 'Course, if I set it off in the place with the most Sontaran, there was less of a chance that they would escape.

I grimaced at the thought of thinking like that. I hated the idea of killing all the Sontaran, but as the Doctor had already told them to leave and they had continued to threaten some innocent people… their own fault.

As I stepped into a room with dozens of Sontaran within it, I gently grasped the bomb, ready to drop it. The moment it hit the ground, all I had to do was press the button on the teleportation device on my wrist and I would be safe in the TARDIS. Just the thought of it made me feel anxious to get back, a soft humming in the back of my mind making me want to get back even more. The TARDIS itself wanted me back.

I narrowed my eyes, irritably glaring at the Sontaran. "So," I mused, rocking back onto my heels as I examined the Sontaran ship, waiting impatiently for a good time. "Why exactly do you want to kill me? Same reason as the Zaraux wanted me for, right? Because I'm the Successor?" _Whatever the hell that means…_

The Sontarans began to excitedly cheer and speak to one another, praising each other. I made a face. How stupid could they get?

Getting tired of their…antics (more like annoyed of their voices and potato selves), I forced myself to smirk, drawing the bomb from my pocket and playing with it carefully, waiting for at least one of them to notice it. When the one who'd been boasting to me about "capturing" me noticed, he narrowed his eyes, immediately moving to take it.

I dropped it.

Immediately, as soon as it hit the ground, the bomb began to beep, a small light flashing. The Sontaran who had noticed actually _squealed_, alerting the others, and I beamed, pressing the button on the teleportation device as told.

Nothing happened.

I blinked, pressing it again. "No!" I hissed when nothing happened, beginning to panic as the beeps alerted me of how much time I had left.

_Ten._

I slammed my hand into the button now, panicking. "Come on, work!"

_Nine. Eight. Seven._

This could not be happening.

_Six. Five._

You have got to be kidding me!

_Four. Three._

"Please, work, just take me somewhere so I don't die," I whimpered, not even caring anymore as I began to mess randomly with things on the teleportation device. "Please, come on, _work_!"

_Two._

I screwed my eyes shut, preparing myself.

_One._

Suddenly, a wrenching feeling in my body made my eyes snapped wide in time for me to see the freaking Sontarans and the imploding ship to disappear. I cried out in pain and surprise as a pain tore through me.

There was nothing…

…and then I slammed into the ground with enough for force to drive the air out of my lungs. Or at least, I thought it was until something moved beneath me. "Oh my gosh," I gasped, scrambling off of the person I had slammed into. "I'm sorry! The stupid thing-" I cut off with a gasp of pain as said feeling tore through me again, making me double over.

The man I'd landed on merely laughed, sitting up and rubbing his head with a cheeky grin. I immediately knew this guy was one of the types I tried generally tried to avoid. "Don't worry; I'm harder to kill than that." He gave a wink, and then frowned. "You're bleeding. Where from?"

I blinked, lowering my gaze to see that I was in fact bleeding. "Damn," I muttered. "Must've got me before the stupid thing worked…oh, great," I spat, glaring at the now sparking and fried teleportation device. "Now how am I supposed to get back?" I glanced at the man, who was staring at me with surprise. "Please tell me this is at least Canziar."

"It's Canziar alright," he replied, waving at the shops around us. "What happened to you? We should get you off the street…"

I ignored him, grimacing as I looked at the wound in my stomach. Pulling the shard of who knows what out, I pressed my hand to the injury to try and stop the bleeding. "Have you seen a weird looking police box?" An annoyed hiss at the back of my head made me hopeful. "That's what I'm trying to find."

Too my surprise, the man grinned. "The Doctor's here? That's great!"

"Yes, great," I said sarcastically, "Honestly, I don't really care if he's here or not right now. I need to get to the TARDIS. That's all that really matters, alright? Not stop staring at me like that and help me find it!"

"Alright, but you still gotta tell me your name," he answered, helping me to my feet and carefully pulling my arm around his shoulders.

I ignored the stares people were giving me as I gasped in pain, cringing. "Give me a reason why I should trust you. 'Because I was nearly killed twice today and I'm not in a good mood right now."

"I'm friends with the Doctor," he supplied.

"…good enough," I sighed as we started down the street. "Give me your name and I'll tell you mine."

"Deal," he agreed. "Captain Jack Harkness at your service."

"Alissa Levi-" I cut off, voice cracking in pain as the wound sent pain flaring through me. "Levine," I finished with a raspy tone. "I'm Alissa Levine. Call me Ali."

"Nice to meet you, Ali," Captain Jack Harkness responded, grinning. Okay, so maybe he wasn't too bad looking, but still. "Let's find the Doctor for you. I'm pretty sure the TARDIS has an infirmary in it…"

The TARDIS hummed in the back of my head, and I furrowed my brow, thinking to distract myself. The TARDIS could hear me and understand me, still able to make sounds in my head despite the fact that I wasn't nearby. But it couldn't talk unless I was touching it or in it, I noted silently, thoughtful. Was that good or bad….?

"Oh! Miss Ali!"

I blinked, recognizing the small voice in an instant. "Selentha."

The young reptilian like girl's eyes were wide with astonishment and horror, and it took only a few moments for Katherina to appear behind her, her own eyes wide and her face pale. "Oh, dear," she gasped, "What happened to you, Successor?"

I gave a weak smile. "Dunno, not sure. I planted a bomb, stupid thing didn't work. It suddenly worked, and I landed on this idiot right here. Now, have you seen the Doctor or the police box anywhere? Because I would really appreciate it if you know where either of those is…"

Selentha nodded anxiously, pointing west. "Follow this street, Miss Ali. At the corner, there's the big box that the Doctor man you're friends with is there."

"Don't call the Successor such disrespectful names," Katherina scolded her daughter before adding kindly to me, "Thank you for saving Selentha. I hope you get well, Successor. Come, Selentha, your father is probably worrying about us." With that, she was ushering the young girl away, glancing worriedly back at me.

I groaned. "Why is he _all the way over there_?" My voice cracked again, and I felt my legs give out, panting for breath as I examined my wound. My stomach twisted. Way worse than I thought, I noted dully. And wonderful, I added silently, my hand was not only coated in my own blood, but it was trailing onto the paved path, making people look at me with disgust and horror.

Captain Jack grunted, taking all of my weight with a slight grin. I glared at him. I take back the good looking part, this guy was an idiot! "I don't care if I'm dying," I threatened, "You touch me anymore than necessary, and I'll rip your arm off, got it?"

He started forward again, me attempting to stumble along beside him. "Whatever you say, Al."

My eyes flashed and I shoved away from him, dropping to the ground in the process and gasping for breath as I fought the urge to curl into a ball. "Don't _ever_ call me that," I spat with pure rage. "My name's Ali or Alissa, not Al. _Never_ call me that. I'm not afraid to rip your arms off, got it?"

He held his hands up in surrender with a surprised look. "Just trying to help and lighten the mood."

I curled a lip in disgust, glowering at him. He merely grinned, offering me a hand. I scowled, looking away until he said apologetically, tone gentle, "I'm sorry, I won't call you that if you're going to react that badly. Let's find the Doctor."

"_Finally_ something I'll agree to," I said in response, allowing him to help me up.

I'd just climbed to my feet when I heard someone say, _"Ali?!"_

"Doctor!" I cried, relief washing over me as I pushed away Captain Jack. Then I glowered at the concerned Time Lord, scowling. "Your stupid little teleportation device was faulty, you know! I was nearly killed!"

He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Ah, forgot how old it was. You alright other than that? I shouldn't have sent you up there alone."

I scowled, and then winced. Then I waved at Captain Jack. "Apparently he knows you, so. He was helping me. Now, where's the TARDIS? This thing hurts, and I wanna get it fixed. He said something about an infirmary."

The Doctor sighed, shooting a warning look as Captain Jack opened his mouth to respond to what I'd said. "You," he said irritably, "Not the time."

"I wasn't planning on saying anything like that," he protested.

"You better not. Why are you on Canziar anyways?" the Doctor asked.

"_Seriously_!" I cried, "Who _cares_?! Just help me get back to the TARDIS please!"

"Ah, right! Sorry! The TARDIS should have some medicine from Hokatz that will heal that stop the bleeding! Good thing I kept that didn't honestly think I'd need it…"

I sighed, shaking my head as the Doctor began to babble once again about things I didn't understand, helping me towards the TARDIS while I muttered under my breath, grimacing in pain. Captain Jack followed behind us, looking slightly eager. "There must be something wrong with me," I mumbled. What was I doing, traveling around with a risky fool who had no idea what he was doing half the time?

_"My Girl," _the TARDIS greeted her voice full of relief as we stepped into the TARDIS. I could practically hear the rooms shifting. _"You're safe now. Sleep, my Girl. I will keep you safe."_

I smiled warmly, an answer coming to my mind in answer to my own question.

Because I was needed, I could feel it.

And then I was lost in nothingness, a peaceful bliss compared to the hellish pain I'd been feeling.

**~~OO~~II~~OO~~**

**A/N: Yeah. Definitely didn't get Jack right. XD Oh, well, wasn't supposed to be there originally. Was talking with my friends and someone thought of it randomly. Not so proud towards the end, but…I had fun as usual, so who cares? This also marks the end of their adventure in Canziar! Onto the next place…let me check my notes…;) Thanks to the reviewers, I was so happy when I saw your reviews!**

** :** I'm glad! ^_^

**courtinelly:** Sweet tea is indeed a wonderful thing. o.o I love it, best drink ever. And quite honestly, I'm not sure about the romance. . I'm contemplating on whether or not it should, but…we'll have to wait and see!

**Skye:** I'm happy you like it! And here's more, as you wanted! XD


	6. Crashed

**((Crashed))**

**~~OO~~II~~OO~~**

I groaned softly in pain as I began to wake up, opening my gray eyes with a whole lot of effort. _Where am I?_ I wondered as I glanced around to examine my surroundings. _And where's the Doctor?_ I sat up in the bed, wincing and pressing a hand to my stomach as it gave a pain sharp enough to make me gag.

_"My Girl awakes,"_ a familiar voice purred, and I sighed in relief as I recognized the voice of the TARDIS. So I was on the TARDIS, thank goodness. That was a good place to start. _"I am glad."_

I smiled, looking around the room. I lay on a bed in the middle of it. A screen hung on the wall nearby, connected with a thousand wires. To the right of me was a massive amount of drawers and cabinets, all obviously containing medical supplies such as bandages and medicine, those of which were set out on a counter due to the fact that they'd probably been used on my injury. "Where am I?" I questioned the TARDIS, reaching over with a grimace to pat the wall.

The TARDIS purred again. _"The infirmary. My Thief was anxious, you worried him gratefully. He left moments ago to make sure the Captain didn't touch my controls."_

It didn't take a genius to figure out who "the Captain" was. Looks like the TARDIS had names for everyone. "So Captain Jack's still here?" I grumbled in annoyance. I had the feeling that he was a good person, but I definitely didn't like the flirting thing he did. "How close is the infirmary to wherever the Doctor is? Where is he anyways?"

_"The control room, my Girl," _the TARDIS moaned, exhaustion beginning to line its tone. _"The infirmary has been moved. It is the closest door to the control room. You may get up and go to my Thief if you so wish, my Girl."_

I paused at this, and then said slowly, "Is it going to mess up this injury anymore?" A sound from the police box made me smile. "Alright, I get it. I'm going." I carefully swung my legs over the side of the bed, sighing in relief when I discovered I was still wearing my jacket and jeans. Being in a hospital gown would've made me want to go home, to be honest. Especially with a guy I barely know running around…actually, make that two. I gave a low sound of pain as my stomach sent a jolt through me, but eventually stood up, sighing softly as I headed towards the door.

The moment I opened the door and saw the end of the hall, just as the TARDIS had told me, I heard voices. The Doctor and Captain Jack, it appeared, were talking.

"What were you doing on Canziar?" the Doctor was asking as I leaned against the wall, cocking an eyebrow and waiting to see if they noticed me. "I know I fixed that manipulator so you couldn't wonder around space and time messing everything up."

"You can't exactly stop Torchwood," Captain Jack replied, "from creating its own devices. A friend of mine reversed the effects your sonic screwdriver did."

"Not possible," the Doctor replied without looking up from the screen he was peering at, his black frames perched once again on his nose. He ran a hand through his stylish and messy hair, thoughtful. "Is Torchwood creating new vortex manipulators?"

Captain Jack made a face and I bit my lip to keep from smiling. "No," he muttered.

"Jack…" the Doctor said warningly, glaring at the other man.

"Fine, they are, and I was testing it out since I heard there was trouble on Canziar," Captain Jack grumbled.

"You know that's not a good idea," he replied with a huff, "Give it here."

Captain Jack cradled the device on his wrist with a pout, glaring at the Doctor. "No way, I need this to get home."

"You know very well that you don't," the Doctor retorted irritably. He held out a hand. "Now give it."

As Captain Jack handed over the time vortex manipulator, I decided to announce that I was there, clearing my throat quietly as I stepped out of the hall and into the control room of the TARDIS. The Doctor immediately forgot about the manipulator (for the moment) and smiled, striding over. "Ah, you're up and about! Molto bene!"

"You speak Italian?" I said, raising an eyebrow.

"The TARDIS translates everything for us," he answered with a wink. "Except for the occasion that I don't want it to. And I'm a Time Lord; I speak anything that isn't older than I or the TARDIS."

"…like that just made any sense," I said sarcastically with a sigh. "Now. What's up with the argument over that manipulator thing on Captain Jack's wrist?"

Captain Jack grinned as the Doctor moaned in frustration and cried, "Don't call him "captain" it'll only encourage him!" He whipped around to Captain Jack, who beamed at me, winking as he said, "Just Jack is fine since you're such a pretty girl."

I snorted, narrowing my eyes. "Don't try anything, _Jack_; I can still rip your arms off."

"Give it!" the Doctor demanded, waving at the vortex manipulator. When Jack merely huffed and didn't give it, the Doctor reached over and snatched his wrist, pinning it so that he could use his sonic screwdriver on it. When the buzzing sound stopped, Jack ripped his hand away, scowling. "I don't know why you do that every single time…"

"Because you of all people, Jack Harkness, do _not_ need of a vortex manipulator that allows you to travel anywhere and anything," the Doctor declared, tucking his sonic screwdriver away with a satisfied look. "Now! Back to your injury!" he said, turning to me again. I couldn't help but smile at the genuine concern in his eyes. "Any bleeding at all?"

I rested a hand over my wound, patting it gently and grimacing slightly as pain flared through it. "No bleeding, but it does still hurt pretty bad."

"Good! Well, the bleeding part. Not the hurting part." I rolled my eyes at him, smiling as I shook my head in amusement. "Good, I like that word. Good. It's a nice word to suit everything that happens the way I like it," the Doctor mused. I fought the urge to groan. He was going to babble again, wasn't he? Yep, there he goes, babbling about "good" and how "good" everything he wants is.

"Uh, Doctor," Jack interrupted, and we both glanced curiously at him. He was waving at the screen of the TARDIS. "Is that bad?"

We both turned to look at the screen, and the Doctor immediately leaped into action, darting over and clutching the sides of the screen as it flashed red, mumbling under his breath, "Come on, old girl, it's just a little bumpy, get over this and we'll land on Daoya and let you rest!"

The TARDIS moaned in response, wheezing in my head, _"Tired…"_

I moved forward to gently touch the central column, my brow furrowed anxiously as I whispered, "I know. Just find us somewhere safe, alright?"

A blaring began to echo throughout the TARDIS, and it gave a violent jerk, knocking me straight off my feet and into the lap of Jack, who immediately smiled despite the situation. "Not now, Jack!" the Doctor yelled, struggling to remain balanced as he began pounding on something with a hammer.

"I'm not trying anything!"

"STOP HITTING HER WITH THE STUPID HAMMER!" I shrieked as the TARDIS moaned again, even whimpered. "YOU'RE MAKING IT WORSE!"

Another jerk and the Doctor was knocked off of his feet, too. He gritted his teeth angrily, clinging to the railing that circled the control room. I scrambled away from Jack, crawling on my hands and knees to cling to the same railing on the other side of the room as the TARDIS nearly tilted sideways, sparks flying from the control panel and the blaring intensified. "We're crashing!" the Doctor announced. "Hold on!"

I groaned, face palming. "As if we didn't know!" I said sarcastically.

A particularly nasty jolt had me nearly slamming my face into the railing, and I squealed as I released it in favor of slamming face first into the grated floor.

_"So tired…hurts..."_ the TARDIS sobbed, still wheezing as it began to shudder.

Biting my lip, I slipped my fingers through the hole in the grating to avoid sliding anywhere else, wincing as I felt a sharp pain slice through my side. I immediately knew that the injury had been torn back open when blood began to soak into my beloved white jacket, which still had dried blood from the first time and a hole to top it all off.

_"My Girl bleeds."_ I blinked at the TARDIS' suddenly concerned whisper. It gave another jerk. _"Hurts."_

I took a moment to process what the TARDIS said, and then climbed to my hands and knees, crawling quickly over to the control panel, where the Doctor was desperately jamming buttons and shoving levers. I shoved him out of the way, resting a hand against the panel. "Don't," I rasped, voice cracking. "You're making it worse, Doctor!"

He immediately pushed past my weak attempts, snapping angrily, "I know about my ship and what it does, thanks. I'm trying to get us to land safely! Jack, press that yellow button over there!" he added. Jack slammed a palm into it and the TARDIS immediately began to tilt sideways again. I grabbed onto the control panel desperately, whimpering in pain and pressing a hand to my side.

When my hand came away, it was wet with blood.

"Doctor," I said weakly, my stomach twisting and making me want to vomit at the sight of my own blood.

"Not now," the Doctor replied, and I groaned as the lights in the TARDIS flickered. "I need to fix this so we don't crash!"

I bit my lip. Great. So I was going to die from bleeding out, or I was going to die from the TARDIS crashing. Wonderful. Wincing, I twisted slightly, searching for Jack. Okay, so he would help me, wouldn't he?

But he was assisting the Doctor, who was snapping orders at him, having him press buttons and switches that the TARDIS moaned about in my head.

I buried my face in my hands as my head spun. The TARDIS' control room spun in my head, and blood continued to leak from the bandages on my injury. Combine all of this with the blaring and the yells of the Doctor and Jack, and I was about ready to pass out.

Suddenly, there was a seriously violent jerk that sent me sprawling once again. I lay there for a few moments as everything went silent and still, trying to catch my breath. The Doctor was breathing heavily, as was Jack, as he stared at the screen, which became black.

And then he gave a bright grin, laughing breathlessly. "Good old girl," he said, patting the control panel affectionately.

I rolled onto my back, one hand pressed to my side as I stared up at the ceiling of the TARDIS, forcing myself to give a tight but faint smile, my heart pounding. "Where are we?" I rasped, tone miserable. I grimaced, and then scowled in annoyance. That idiot was going to be the death of me!

_"My Girl,"_ the TARDIS whispered faintly, her voice barely audible in my mind. I felt a flash of worry, and it didn't come from just me. It came from the both of us. The TARDIS was worried about me, I knew, and I was worried about the TARDIS. I could hear the exhaustion, the pain in the TARDIS' voice as she took comfort in the words. _"My Girl."_

I snorted softly. Guess two of us were half dead.

"Ah!" the Doctor said cheerfully from where he was back to examining the screen within the TARDIS. Jack was peering over his shoulder. I just lay where I was, perfectly happy not to move. "We're on Daoya just like I wanted! At least I think we are! I told you I knew what I was doing Ali- Ali?"

I shot him a dark look, furious. "Have the time now to pay attention when I'm saying I've reopened my wound?"

"Why didn't you say anything? You should've told me you were bleeding," the Doctor scolded, immediately moving over to examine the injury. I ignored him, sitting up. "We'll have to get you bandaged and into some non-bloody clothes before we go check out Daoya."

I pursed my lips to keep from snapping at him, releasing a ragged breath of fury, rubbing my temples as my side throbbed painfully. "Just…leave me alone. I can handle it myself. You two go check out the planet or wherever the hell we are." Then I added angrily, "You were too busy when I was trying to tell you, Doctor, so don't go telling me I should've told you."

The Doctor ignored me, gently examining my side. I realized what a mess now was. Yes, I said now. What a mess I am. What a mess the TARDIS is (she gave me an annoyed hiss when I thought this). What a mess the Doctor was. _Damn._

_"My Girl should not speak or think such words,"_ the TARDIS garbled tiredly.

So she could hear my words in my thoughts. Much better than talking out loud to myself! _Oh, hush, you. You're just as tired, you should rest before the Doctor goes insane driving again._ The TARDIS rumbled, and then fell silent with a soft hiss, and I knew she'd followed my advice.

"Let's get you back to the infirmary," the Doctor decided, grasping my hand and pulling me to my feet with pursed lips. I stifled a gasp. "I'm sorry about snapping at you, I was trying to keep us from crashing."

I shrugged. "Whatever, it's fine. Help me now?"

"Of course," he answered, smiling broadly at me. "Jack," he added over his shoulder, becoming serious for a moment. "I want you to go outside, see if we're really on Daoya. You've been here before. If it isn't, come tell me. First door to the right."

"Alright, Doctor!" Jack said cheerfully. He winked at me and I glared back at him until he was ducking outside.

The Doctor helped me towards the infirmary, thoughtful as we went to it. "I've got some medicine that'll stop the bleeding for now. You'll need to make sure not to open it again until it heals, but I don't think that'll be that hard…"

"After Canziar," I retorted, "It probably will."

"It's not always like that," he protested. He paused. "Well, not most of the time." Another pause. "Well, not some of the time. You get the point!"

I couldn't help but smile as I shook my head. As much as I wanted to smack the hell out of this man, he was probably the funniest guy I've ever met. And not on purpose, either. "Alright, alright. I get it. Can you get that medicine so we can go see where Jack ran off to?"

"Yes, yes," the Doctor agreed hastily, ducking into the infirmary. I followed him inside and he began digging through cabinets and drawers for what he was looking for, completely ignoring the stuff that was already sitting out. When he caught me looking at the medicine on the counter, he explained, "That's a sedative. I had to give you one because you were thrashing about, having some nightmare or another."

I grimaced. "Can't remember what it was about, but I know what it probably was. I always used to have nightmares, when I was little. And they were always the same ones."

"Interesting," the Doctor said slowly, glancing curiously at me. "Maybe that has something to do with everyone knowing you yet we don't have a clue about what they mean…"

"…that just made no sense," I said bluntly. I winced. "Do you have that medicine yet? I'm starting to get dizzy, and I know it's not a good thing."

"Right!" the Doctor said, quickly finding what he was looking for. He handed me a small jar and I examined it curiously. "Rub a little bit of it onto the wound and it should stop the bleeding. It'll hurt though," he warned.

I smiled dryly, waving off his warning. "I've dealt with worse. You go find Jack while I do this. He's nice and all, but I think it's possible that he could get into trouble just as bad as the trouble you can get us into."

"I don't get us into-" He sighed, cutting himself off. "I'm not going to argue with you about this."

I grinned, reaching up to affectionately pat his head and tease, "Good boy, you're learning. Now go on and find that Jack, I'll come out as soon as I can. Does this place have any extra clothes I could look through?"

"Of course. The TARDIS has the universe's largest closet," the Doctor answered. "I'm sure she'll move it around for you, and then put the clothes she thinks you'll like up front. You don't come out until I get back. The last time you did, you got kidnapped." And then he was gone, ducking out of the room and out into the control room.

_"My Thief is gone,"_ the TARDIS whispered her tone one of worry.

"I know, you old police box," I said, gently touching the wall. The TARDIS purred in response, tiredly. "He'll be fine. I'm going to chase after him and knock some sense into him if he isn't."

After quickly changing the bandages wrapped around my waist and rubbing in new medicine, I stepped out of the infirmary, my white jacket draped over my arm with a pout on my face as I stared at it. My grip tightened.

My mother's jacket was ruined.

"Hey," I said softly, grabbing the TARDIS' attention with a hopeful tone. "Could you fix this? It's important."

_"Anything for my Girl, but first I must rest. I have no energy to do anything of the sort after moving my closet to your right."_

I grinned, relieved. "Thanks," I told the TARDIS, stepping into the closet. My jaw dropped at the sheer size of it, and I blinked as I realized clothes that looked a lot like the style I'd usually wear were in the front, just as the Doctor had said. There was a mechanical looking hamper right by the door, and I frowned, asking, "In here, right?"

_"Yes, my Girl. Put your clothes in there and I will return them to your room,"_ the TARDIS purred.

I lovingly placed my jacket in the hamper, and then began skimming through the clothes. Eventually, I decided on a pair of nice looking jeans, a soft black blouse, a white scarf, and a white fedora, keeping my black boots to go with the outfit. Stripping out of the bloody tank top and jeans, tossing them into the hamper, I grinned, quickly pulling on the fresh pair of jeans and black blouse. Pulling my hair free, I placed the black scarf around my neck. Grabbing the fedora, I said gently, "You rest and clean those when you can."

_"Yes, my Girl. Be safe,"_ the TARDIS whispered before falling silent.

I ducked out of the TARDIS, in a much better mood now that I wasn't bleeding, and placed the fedora on my head, looking around for the Doctor with a frown. Had he run off again? But then I saw him, leaning against a building across the street-well, a cobblestone path, a pout on his face. "What's wrong?" I asked, striding over to him and stuffing my hands in my pockets.

He blinked, surprise lighting his gaze, and I smirked to myself. Had he seriously not recognized me? _Idiot_, I thought affectionately, looking around. I frowned when I saw women in long skirts and bonnets. Men and children were in older clothes as well. "Uh, Doctor?" I questioned. "Where are we?"

The Doctor pursed his lips, pushing away from the wall to straighten to his full height, a good head taller than I was. "We didn't land on Daoya like I hoped. The TARDIS somehow got us to nineteenth century London."

I groaned, face palming. "I chose the wrong clothes to wear," I mumbled under my breath, then questioned, "Where'd Jack run off to?"

He gave a grim smile. "That's a good question."

**~~OO~~II~~OO~~**

**A/N: Shorter than the other chapters, but that's okay. Meant to be. :D Hope you enjoyed!**

**KijoKuroi:** Jack is one of the best; I have to agree with you on that. Rose is my favorite, but Donna's a close second. Mainly 'cause of the one episode with everyone…*trying not to write spoilers*

**Maruc8:** I'm glad! :D

**thecrimsonnote:** o3o You really think so? I'm glad you think that! As you can see, Jack is going to be in the next chapter or so, so. :D

**Deviant Rose:** I love writing the talks with the TARDIS. c: It's so much fun, considering that I get to practically create its personality.


	7. The Shadows

**((The Shadows))**

**~~OO~~II~~OO~~**

I stared at the Doctor for a few moments, and then moaned in disbelief. "Are you serious?" I rasped. "Jack is gone? Just…gone?"

"He was here for a few moments," the Doctor replied, running a hand through his styled hair before stuffing his hands into the pockets of his long brown trench coat, thoughtful. "He was outside when I came out. But I turned my back for one second and then he was gone."

Adjusting the strap for my bag, I bit my lip and said, shifting my weight, "Well, what do we do? I don't think…the TARDIS shouldn't be up to any moving around, and we can't exactly leave the guy here after you messed up his time thingy."

"Vortex manipulator," he corrected. "And no, the TARDIS isn't up to anything at the moment. I think our best bet is to ask around." The Doctor pushed away from the wall he'd been leaning against. He offered me a hand and I grinned, taking it. "Let's go, shall we? And ignore any strange looks you get at the clothes, you get used to it after a while."

"I thought as much," I mused as we started down the cobblestone path.

"What's in your bag?" the Doctor questioned, curious.

I shrugged, shooting him a smirk. "My sketches, my sketchbook, some pencils, pens and markers, some money and my shattered phone – by the way, you still owe me a new one."

He gave a sigh, frowning playfully. "I take you around space and time with me, something that nobody gets to see, and you still think I owe you a new phone?"

"Of course," I answered with a grin, playfully shoving at him, though I was careful of the wound on my side. I like this new outfit. I'd rather not stain it with blood, too. I adjusted the fedora on my head and smiled. But my smile faded when a woman glanced fearfully at us and urged her daughter away, going in a large circle around us. "Something's definitely going on," I said in a low tone, chewing nervously on my bottom lip.

The Doctor murmured an agreement, releasing my hand in favor of jogging over to an elderly man. He pulled out something from his pocket, holding it up for the man to see as he said, "Hullo! John Smith, here to inspect the rare sightings I've heard about. This is my partner, Alissa Levine." The old man cast me a strange look and I ignored it, winking. "We're from America," he explained, "Fashion is a tad different over there. Now, can you tell us more about what's been going on?"

"Yes," the old man said eagerly, his kind eyes fearful. "There are shadows, Mr. Smith. Terrible shadows. They come around every now and then and sometimes, people go missing. My grandson was one of the first…" His voice cracked, and I felt a stab of sympathy for the man.

"I'm sorry," the Doctor murmured, "I'm so sorry. We're going to try and find out what happened to him for you, I promise. Now, can you describe these shadows?"

"They're shadows," he stated bluntly. "They're all about the height of Miss Levine, Mr. Smith. And they all have glowing eyes. Someone managed to escape their grasp, but he died a few days later. He killed himself, that poor man. Said they were coming for him, they needed him for something."

"Hm," I murmured. "That's interesting. Maybe whatever they are took Jack for the same reason…"

"Sounds about right," the Doctor agreed. "Did he ever say what they needed him for before he died?"

The old man shook his head in denial. "No, Mr. Smith. His last words were put in the newspaper. He said, "I'm scared they'll come back. I don't want to be used. I'll die before they can use me." A few days later, he stole a syringe from a nurse in the hospital and plunged it into his neck."

I furrowed my brow. "You can kill yourself with a syringe?"

"Apparently," the Doctor mused. "Thanks for your help, that information will be useful."

"Of course, Mr. Smith," the old man replied warmly. He shook hands with the Doctor, and then turned and shook hands with me, his eyes gentle. "You be careful, Miss Levine," he told me. "My wife, Catie, told me to keep an eye out for a young woman by the name of Alissa Levine. Told me to tell you that when the time comes, you'll be able to reason with whatever those shadows are. I don't know how or why, but she said you would. Good luck!"

As the old man lumbered of, I stared at where he had been, stunned.

Catie. There was no way that Catie, my friend Catie, the Catie I knew and loved, the Catie that lived in my old home of Austin, Texas, was here in the eighteen hundreds. There was no possible way. She was safe with her family and going to college the last time I checked, only a day before I'd run off with the Doctor.

"Ali?" the Doctor said gently. "You alright?"

I shook my head to clear it. "Yes," I replied, reassuringly smiling at him. I swiped some hair out of my face. "I'm fine. So it's definitely the shadows that took Jack."

The Doctor nodded in confirmation, his brow furrowed in thought. "Definitely the Shadows," he agreed. "But why do they need people? And if it's for a bad reason, it's not a good thing that they have Jack of all people in the universe."

"Why?" I asked curiously. "He's from who knows how where, but he's human, like me and like every other person that was taken."

"Jack," the Doctor began slowly, eyes darkening. "Isn't a normal being, Ali. He's human, yes. But he doesn't die. He's an impossible being. He was killed by a Dalek. And old companion of mine, Rose Tyler, revived him when she took the time vortex into her head. We're not exactly sure what she did, but…"

I ignored the way the word "Dalek" tugged on my mind, shrugging off the soft hint of something it gave me. But the name "Rose Tyler" immediately rang a bell in my head. "Oh!" I gasped, immediately placing a hand on my bag. "Rose Tyler is the girl I drew! The blond girl with the glowing eyes!"

The Doctor chuckled, his eyes sad. "Yes. I'll tell you more about her later on, but first, we need to get Jack back. I should have never let him run off by himself, he always gets into trouble."

I snickered. "Says the man who got us into trouble at Canziar."

"Says the girl who ran off when I specifically told her to stay in the TARDIS," he retorted.

I paused. "Point taken," I admitted. "So, any ideas on what those shadows could be, Doctor?"

"I think I may have a clue," he said after a few moments. "But I'd need a piece of the shadow to run through scanners in the TARDIS to be sure of what we're dealing with. I'd suggest we set a trap for one, steal a piece of it and run off, but after Canziar, I'm not letting you run off alone."

I grimaced at the reminder. "Don't think I want to. Maybe there's a trace of a shadow left somewhere?"

The Doctor grinned at me. "You're brilliant," he declared, grabbing me by the hand and dragging me towards another person that was hurrying down the street. I briefly noted that there were less people around now as the sun began to set. "Excuse me!" he cried, showing the strange paper to a young woman. "Can you answer a few questions?"

The Doctor stopped short and I slammed into him. "Doctor," I huffed irritably. But he was focused on the woman, who glanced briefly at the paper.

She smiled at us, and I was surprised at the young childish look on her face. She looked older, but she couldn't be more than sixteen. Her blond hair came down her back in soft waves, and she had bright blue eyes that seemed to pierce through my soul. "Of course," she murmured, locking gazes with me.

I could've sworn I saw a swirl of gold in the blue depths.

The Doctor beamed at her. "Molto bene! Can you tell me about the shadows that have been hanging around?"

"Of course, Mr. John Smith," the girl said, finally shifting her gaze from mine to look at the Doctor warmly. I was shocked at her warm and gentle tone towards him, as if she knew who he really was. But since the Doctor didn't seem to recognize her, I didn't think twice about it. "The shadows have been moving around the area for months. We grew used to them, but they only began taking people about a month ago, Mr. John Smith." She said the name "John Smith" in an amused tone.

Suspicious, I demanded, "Tell us, Miss…?"

"Skylar," the girl giggled, "I am Skylar Wilson."

"Alright, Miss Wilson," I said. Something about her didn't sit right with me, it made me…nervous. Scared. It made me want to run. "Tell us. Do they appear in certain places, or do they pop up randomly?"

Skylar tapped her lower lip almost thoughtfully, clear blue eyes glancing up. "They appear in many places. They appear everywhere, all around London. But they only appear at sunrise and dusk, when the light is changing."

"That's very helpful, thank you very much," the Doctor told her with a slight smile. Then he added, "Come along, Ali, we need to go report back to the upper people."

I nodded, bidding goodbye to the girl before scrambling after the Doctor, who was already jogging off in the direction that we had left the TARDIS, noting the way that I could feel Skylar Wilson's eyes boring a hole in my back.

Yes, there was definitely something about her that I wouldn't forget.

**~~OO~~II~~OO~~**

"Doctor!" I wheezed as we reached the TARDIS, doubling over and gasping for breath. Definitely wasn't used to that much running, especially when I was so out of shape. "Why exactly were we running?!"

"Because," he cried cheerfully, a grin lighting up his face. He quickly inserted the TARDIS key into the lock and twisted, opening the door and pushing it open. As soon as we stepped in, the TARDIS hummed a greeting, and I beamed. She was obviously feeling better. "I think I know what they are!" He darted over to the control panel and began hitting buttons before pulling the screen to him, perching the familiar black frames onto his nose. "Let's see…"

I peered curiously over his shoulder, removing my white fedora and running my fingers through my now tangled hair. Damn it. That would be a huge pain to brush out.

_"Language, my Girl,"_ the TARDIS chided.

I smirked, ignoring her as I focused on the screen. I groaned as it showed "the circle language", Gallifreyan. "Why won't the TARDIS translate it?" I complained.

"Older than the TARDIS," the Doctor replied. He typed in something, and the screen changed to show an exact copy of the description the old man had given us. "Exactly what I thought it was."

"And that is…?"

"Carfioliax," the Doctor answered with another grin. He patted the control panel of the TARDIS affectionately. "The shadows are a defense mechanism. They're literally ghosts until the Carfioliax wants something. Then they become physical real beings."

"And these things want people for some reason," I said slowly, "So they're becoming real and taking the people."

"Exactly," the Doctor replied, "So now we need to figure out where the Carfioliax themselves are hiding and why they're taking the people…"

"Can't be too hard," I mused. Silently, I pleaded to the TARDIS, _Can you show us where the most shadows have been seen? You don't have to if it's too much work._

The TARDIS silently scoffed, and the screen suddenly shifted to a map of London, showing red dots. Most of them were scattered but there was one spot where… "There," I said, pointing at the place where there were quite a few of the dots gathered. "That's where we need to go."

"Good job, old girl," the Doctor told his ship, patting it before turning the screen off and shrugging off his trench coat, draping it over a piece of the coral that made up the inside of the TARDIS. "Now, let's get going Ali."

He made his way over to the TARDIS doors, opening them, and held one of the double doors open for me. I stepped out with a laugh. Then I frowned, becoming serious as he closed and locked the doors again. "Doctor," I asked, "They won't hurt Jack, will they?"

"They're not a violent species," he reassured. "Jack will be fine."

"Good," I sighed in relief. "He's not a bad man. He just annoys the hell out of me."

"Finally!" the Doctor cried cheerfully, a grin on his face. "A companion who isn't swayed by his charms!"

We started for the place the TARDIS had showed us, the Doctor practically bouncing as he walked, a cheeky smile on his face. "So," I mused, "People disappearing and aliens being mean are things you deal with every day."

"Not every day," the Doctor protested, and then paused. "…well, sometimes I do, but it's not always like this." He frowned, becoming anxious. "Do you want to go home? I can take you there if you really want to."

I snorted, glaring at him for even suggesting the idea. "I don't want to go home, you idiot." I reached over to affectionately pat his arm. "I'm not going home anytime soon, I can promise you that much. Though I do kind of want to stop by the place I'm from and visit some friends. I think the TARDIS is a cheaper and faster way to travel then by plane…"

The Doctor relaxed, a smile spreading across his face once more. "Of course. We'll head there after we've finished up here. The Carfioliax won't cause much trouble. I'll drop you off, but then I need to fuel up the TARDIS. It'll take about twenty four hours, but I'll come back for you."

I grinned. "Good. Because I have a feeling that if you don't want to come back and get me, the TARDIS won't like it very much."

"She is strangely attached to you," the Doctor agreed thoughtfully.

I shrugged, smirking as I adjusted my fedora, holding it to my head as I skipped forward. "You know, I think I'll keep the hat. I like it. "

"Go ahead. Keep anything you like from the closet, I'm overrun with clothes from every planet and time period," he muttered under his breath, grimacing slightly as if he didn't like the reminder.

Movement caught my eye and I stopped, whirling around. "Doctor," I gasped.

"Every time I look, there are more clothes," the Doctor continued as if he hadn't heard me, thoughtful. "New Alark clothes, new fourteenth century clothes-"

"Doctor!" I snapped, interrupting his sudden babbling rant. "Hate to interrupt, but-"

"And everyone's so rude," he continued, ignoring me now on purpose, sounding irritated. "Interrupting me when I'm talking. Every single time."

_"Doctor!"_ I exploded, not taking my eyes off of the shadow that had appeared before me. "There's a bloody thing right here!"

Immediately the Doctor whirled around, pointing a familiar silver device at the shadow. The sonic screwdriver gave a buzzing sound and the shadow screeched, freezing as it flickered before disappearing. The Doctor waited a few moments, his eyes locked on where the shadow had been. And then he tucked his sonic screwdriver safely away, saying sternly to me, "Never notice something until you have to. It'll know you've seen it and just attack before you're ready."

I flushed, ducking my head. "I'll make sure to think of it next time," I muttered under my breath, crossing my arms.

He chuckled in return.

Suddenly, everything went silent. Alarmed, I raised my head. Nothing had changed. There was no change of scenery. It was still dusk, the sun now sinking below the horizon. I still had my hat on my head, my bag on my back.

But the Doctor had disappeared.

And that just made nineteenth century London a whole lot more dangerous.

**~~OO~~II~~OO~~  
**

It was obvious that the damn shadows had taken the Doctor, I thought to myself from where I was sitting beside the TARDIS, having decided that it would be safer near the police box then wondering the streets of a city in a time period where women had little to no respect. I had my sketch book on my knees, a pencil in hand, and a flashlight in the other as I sketched out the girl we'd met earlier, Skylar. But in my drawing, she had glowing eyes. Just like the picture of Rose Tyler.

The TARDIS hummed beside me, and I scowled. "Hush you," I huffed to her. "You're the one who won't let me inside because the Doctor disappeared."

She hummed again.

Irritated, I returned to skimming my pencil across the paper, thinking of what to do.

The shadows had taken the Doctor, I repeated to myself. And the Doctor had seemed to think the owners of those shadows had needed help and people to help them with whatever they needed help with. If that was the case, then they needed the Doctor's help.

He'd also mentioned the people being returned.

So if I waited, he'd be returned. Right?

I bit my lip. He _would_ come back, wouldn't he? If he didn't, I 'm not sure what I'd do. I'm sure the TARDIS would let me in eventually. In a few days, when I was starving and hungry. And I knew for sure she'd at least help me get home…but…

An idea flashed through my mind. I stuffed the drawing of the girl, Skylar, into my bag, leaping to my feet as I immediately pleaded to the TARDIS, probably looking insane, "Open! You've gotta open! I need to get inside, and I'll need that map back up if you don't mind!"

The TARDIS door gave a soft click before I swung it open, smiling happily as I stepped in. "Thanks," I told the TARDIS, quickly closing it behind me. I strode over to the TARDIS screen, and the map appeared like before the Doctor had disappeared. I skimmed my fingers over it, biting my lip thoughtfully. "Can you show me what alien I'm looking for?"

The screen flickered, and I felt a slight feeling of guilt for making the TARDIS use more energy than necessary. I patted the console. "I won't let him move you for a full day if you do. Please, old girl."

The nickname the Doctor used on her worked. The screen shifted from the map (I had noted where I needed to go, planting it firmly into my mind) and had become the alien. Thank goodness the language was a language I could read.

_Species: Carfioliax_

_Planet: Carfio_

_Language: Carfiol_

_Height: Two'_

_Weight: 50 lbs._

_Notes: Shadows are used when in need of assistance, aren't a generally violent species._

I smiled as I skimmed over the picture and information. Pretty obvious who'd been adding the notes. The Doctor had said those exact words earlier. "Thanks, you beautiful police box," I murmured. Then I darted towards the door. I slammed them shut behind me, hearing the lock click back in place. Looks like the TARDIS didn't want anyone random walking in either. I hurried away from it, quickly making my way to where I had been.

When I reached the place that the Doctor had disappeared in, I ran my fingers through my hair, peering around. How to get the aliens to me…?

I bit my lip, the memory of the little creature embedded in my mind.

_The Successor_. That's what the other aliens had called me. And the old man's wife had told her husband to tell me that I could reason with them. And the Zaraux had wanted me for the same reason, to reason with the Sontaran. That appeared to be part of being the Successor.

Suddenly, something latched onto my leg, becoming a heavy weight. I nearly screamed in surprise, jumping with a gasp and shining my flashlight at whatever it was immediately.

But it was just what I had been looking for. A Carfioliax. It reminded me of a child, beaming at me with its chubby orange face, green eyes glowing happily. "You're here!" it cried, "The Successor's here."

I gave a hesitant smile. "Uh, guess I am. Hi."

The small alien giggled, surprising me as it crawled up my body to hug me gently around the neck, squealing happily. "You didn't break your promise! You came back just like you said you would! I'm so happy, we're all so glad! The Doctor's waiting for you, Miss Successor; you have to come with me!"

I hesitantly patted the alien's back, wary at the fact that it was near my neck. "Where exactly is he?" Dear God, I was being kind towards an alien, acting like it happened on a normal basis. Which, with the Doctor, I supposed it did. "He's alright, right? You didn't hurt him? Because I won't be very happy if you did," I warned.

It gasped, looking offended. "Hurt the Doctor," the alien scoffed, horrified by the idea. "The Doctor's our friend!"

"Alright, alright," I replied, thought my lips curved into a smile of relief. So the Doctor had been right.

"Come," the Carfioliax cried, scrambling back down to the ground. It grabbed my hand, and I was forced to bend over, allowing it to pull me down the street. "Come! We just need you o help us and we can go home!"

"Uh, I'm not good with technology," I told the Carfioliax as it led me down an alley. Suddenly, everything disappeared into shadows. I gasped in surprise, and the alien reassuringly beamed at me as we reappeared in another location.

"That's okay," it replied. "Your touch will be enough, Miss Successor. And we're a few miles away from that horrible city. Our ship can't run when there's so much pollution."

"Ah." As if that made sense. We were in the middle of a forest, near an old abandoned cottage. And leaning against the old crumbling walls, scowling at the man beside him, was none other than the Doctor. I gently removed my hand from the alien's grasp, stalking over and immediately smacking the back of his head, huffing. "What's with you and running off to who knows where without warning, huh? Do you know that I sat outside because I couldn't get into the TARDIS?" Not that I couldn't get in. I had. But he didn't need to know that."

The Doctor yelped, rubbing the back of his head and Jack snickered beside him. I couldn't help the faint smile that was playing on my lips. "I'll give you your own TARDIS key when we get back. Make it official that you're my companion."

I beamed. "Great!" I said cheerfully.

And suddenly, I was being swarmed by little orange aliens, all squealing excitedly and crying "Miss Successor" excitedly. Before I knew it, I was flat on my back, and maybe a dozen of them were curling against me, rubbing their cheeks against me with giggles. Definitely like children.

And I think they were purring.

Oh my_ gosh_ this is so weird!

Jack stared at me in surprise, and the Doctor was smiling slightly. I glared at both of them. "Not a word," I threatened. "Not a word to anyone about this, you two. Or I'll make sure I beat the hell out of the both of you."

"Oh, you wouldn't go through with that," the Doctor replied with a grin.

"Of course she wouldn't!" one of the Carfioliax cried, scrambling away from me and towards a lump of a machine that was about the size of a car. It beamed at me. "She's Miss Successor! Miss Successor doesn't hurt _anyone_."

"That name again," the Doctor murmured.

I ignored him, fairly pissed off at the fact that he hadn't apologized just yet about disappearing just yet. To the small aliens, I asked, "What do you want me to do?" I gently pushed them off, climbing to my feet, and one dragged me over to the machine.

"Right here, Miss Successor," another said eagerly, patting a flattened piece of the metal. It had a red light, and it reminded me of a lock on the phone the Doctor still owed me. "Just press your hand here and all fixed!"

I hesitated, and then laid my hand on the piece of metal as instructed, smiling as the red light turned green. The machine suddenly sounded like a car starting up, and then began to purr, sounding much like the little creatures themselves.

"Thank you, Successor," they squealed, "Thank you!" The Doctor and Jack moved over and we all helped them into the machine. One began to press buttons.

And then, there ship disappeared.

I blinked. "What about the other people?" I said suddenly, the reminder from earlier making me whirl around to face the Doctor."

"Already heading home," Jack replied. He winked at me, a cheeky smile on his face. "We sent them on their way about an hour before you got here."

I sighed in relief. "Good," I breathed. So the old man's family would be getting home…which reminded me… "Doctor," I said slowly, hesitant. "Can I maybe visit some friends and family? In Texas? I'm worried about them; I haven't talked to some of them in over a month."

"Of course," the Doctor said warmly. He beamed, brown eyes sparkling happily. He offered me a friendly hand, and I clasped it, allowing him to tug me in the direction of the distant city. "But first, we have a long walk ahead of us."

I rolled my eyes with a smile, beckoning Jack to follow. Jack grinned, bouncing after us. As we walked away from the crumbling building, I didn't notice the two words that had been painted across the stone path behind us. The Doctor didn't notice, and neither did Jack.

_Finally_. I would finally get to visit home for the first time in four years.

Another thought made me pause.

…Mandy was going to kill me.

**~~OO~~II~~OO~~**

**A/N: Not very happy with this chapter, but I love those little aliens I came up with. Wasn't feeling creative with the name, so they have a weird one. XD So next, Ali and the Doctor will be going to Texas! **

**I'm also really sad to say, I have nobody to thank for reviews. ;-; I feel as if this fanfic isn't as well liked as I hoped…**


	8. Welcome HomeNot!: Part I

**((Welcome Home…Not! Part: I))**

**~~OO~~II~~OO~~**

I breathed in deeply as I stepped out of the TARDIS and into the familiar heat of Texas, an excited smile spreading across my face as I scanned the area around me. Nothing out of the ordinary, just…home! I was home! Finally! After Canziar, old London, and dropping Jack off in present London, I was home!

The Doctor made a face as he ducked out of the TARDIS after me, having taken my warning to heart and abandoned his trench coat in the time machine. I couldn't help but laugh at the mix of his suit, tie, and converse. Who wears those together? The Doctor frowned at me. "What?" he complained.

"Nothing," I gasped, forcing myself not to laugh. "You just have a…interesting way of dressing, that's all." I fought back a giggle as he looked down at his clothes and shoes in confusion. "Never mind," I said with a smile. "Who cares? I'm sure everyone won't. They'll all like you."

"Just who is everyone," he asked as we started down the street.

I tapped my chin thoughtfully. "I know for sure you're going to meet Mandy. Catie, possibly, and Drevan, definitely. Drevan lives about two miles from Mandy, so I'm going to go visit him even if you don't and want to leave." A thought suddenly flashed through my mind when the Doctor didn't object to leaving. I whirled on him. "You're not going to leave me here, are you?!"

His eyes widened. "No, of course not!" he cried. Then he paused. "Well," he said slowly and I felt myself begin to panic until he said, "Just for a tick. I'll be back. I need to find the nearest place where the Rift is slightly open so that I can fuel up the TARDIS. I think maybe it'll help with the trouble she's been giving us lately…"

I sighed in relief. "Good," I mumbled in response, then grinned, dragging him in the direction of Mandy's home, grimacing as we walked down the street, massive spaces between each house. She was going to kill me. I hadn't called her in quite some time, and somehow, without the money to do so, I was suddenly showing up with a strange man that she'd never even heard of. Yep, she was going to kill me.

I hesitated when I passed an older house that obviously hadn't been cared for in many years. Windows were shattered, shutters and doors barely hanging on. The roof was missing patches of it. My eyes softened and I gently released his arm in favor of touching a once white piece of picket fence. "Ali?" the Doctor questioned gently.

I smiled. "This place," I said softly, "Is very important to me." That said, I easily grabbed his hand and started down the street again. He didn't question it, instead reassuringly squeezing my hand as we twined fingers. I took comfort in the gesture, shuddering at the memory that filled my mind.

Finally, we reached the house I had once lived in. I grinned as a chicken squawked, recognizing the sound of horses. The front yard was covered in animals and pens, but they weren't messy as one would've expected. Instead, they were all neat and clean, separated. There were chickens, ducks, quails, bunnies, chinchillas, turtles, snakes, any animal you could think off. Behind the house, I saw the old goat rubbing his head against a post, the cow mooing softly as it chewed its cud.

The Doctor looked astonished, and even more so when a small pot belly pig came tearing across the yard, squealing and announcing our arrival, followed by its ever faithful terrier friend. I laughed. "You're still here, you oldie?" I teased, scratching the pig's ears. It snorted, leaning against me.

"Is that a pig?" he questioned.

I burst into laughter. "You bet," I replied with a grin. "Mandy has an animal rescue. All of these animals were going to be put down and she took them in. Some of them would be in dog food if it wasn't for her."

The Doctor leaned down to hesitantly run his fingers through the clean fur of the terrier, looking slightly unnerved by the way the dog's one eye swiveled around. Yes, the dog only had one eye and three legs. Problem?

"Alissa Levine, just when did you get here?"

I lifted my head at the familiar voice, grinning and darting over to its owner. Throwing my arms around the petite red haired woman, I squealed, "Mandy!"

She smiled warmly, her southern accent obvious as she hugged me back. "You should've told me you were coming. You should've called me period, young lady!"

I grimaced at the reminder, reaching down and picking up the terrier as it started spinning in circles near my feet. "Sorry, I've been busy. Traveling with a friend and all."

Taking this chance to clear his throat, the Doctor stepped forward, holding his hand out to introduce himself with the usual charming smile. "Hello there, you must be-"

Mandy stiffened, immediately crossing her arms. My smile faded as I recognized the cold look from her, the one she put on when speaking with someone she never had, does, or would like in the entirety of all time and space. "I'm Mandy, and just who the hell do you think you are, dragging my daughter off, hm?" She turned a glare on me. "And you!"

I grimaced, exchanging nervous looks with the Doctor. He sucked in a breath, running his hand through his already mussed hair. "Ah, yes, well…"

"I wanted to go with him, Mandy," I piped up. "He didn't drag me off to do anything, I promise!"

Mandy continued to glare at the two of us before huffing, somehow scooping the potbelly pig off the ground. It snorted happily, nuzzling at her cheek before relaxing. "Fine. I won't ask you about your travels or what you've been up to on them. Now come on inside, I'd like to talk to this friend of yours while _you_ go feed the cows."

I groaned softly, pleading, "Please don't kill him. I kind of need the guy." Then I asked, "Who's in the pen?"

"Twist," Mandy answered cheerfully, smiling scarily at the Doctor, who eyed her nervously as if she was some kind of alien he hadn't met. "I've trained him, so he should be fine now."

I grimaced at the idea of riding the horse. Yes, in order to get to the back of the property in less than three hours, I suggest taking a horse. But not Twist. Twist was the worst horse I had ever come into contact to, the only animal that had ever not liked me. I patted the Doctor's arm, saying with a teasing look at Mandy, "If you need to make a fast get away, I'll tell you her weakness. It sounds stupid, but grab the pig. That's all you have to do."

The Doctor chuckled, affectionately ruffling my hair with sparkling eyes. "I doubt I'll need to do that, but thanks for the tip. You go…feed the cows. I'll wait until you're back to leave, promise."

"Thanks," I replied, smiling in relief. I playfully pushed at him, and then grabbed a lead rope from a peg near the backdoor. "Is Tex still hanging around out here?" She nodded and I beamed, immediately greeting the dog as the Australian Shepherd wildly greeted me, attempting to climb up my body to kiss my face. I giggled, herding him out the door. As he ran in circles, my gaze immediately went to the horse pen that was right outside the door.

I beamed. "Dany!" I cried. The massive black Clydesdale swung his head around to look at me, and then nickered. I scrambled over to hug the horse that had been mine for years before I'd moved to England, hugging his large head. "Hey there, big guy."

He nickered happily, and I clipped the lead rope to his halter, leading him over to where the tack always was.

After tacking him up, I gently tapped his shoulder. As I had trained him to do, the giant horse folded his front legs under him, allowing me to be able to climb on without any struggle. I tapped his shoulder again and he stood the ground quite far away. "Good boy," I told him, twisting the reins.

The horse snorted softly, his ears pricked as he started to walk in the direction of the cow shed.

Remind me why Mandy had put the cow shed all the way at the back of the property? Because I had no idea.

As Tex darted ahead, sniffing, then doubled back to check on Dany and I, I hummed quietly to myself, enjoying the warm Texas air. I'd missed it compared to the sometimes cold air in England. I still loved England, don't get me wrong. But it wasn't the same as home.

Finally, we arrived at the cow shed. I tapped Dany's shoulder, and the massive horse lowered himself, allowing me to climb off. He climbed back to his feet and snorted softly, lipping at my shoulder. I giggled, stroking his nose before leaving him where he was to duck into the cow shed.

I frowned. There was always a cow in here, even just a calf for shade. But there wasn't a single cow in here. There was just darkness, cool shade, and a soft hissing…I immediately became wary. If there was rattlesnake in here, that could be bad. Especially since a certain someone had shattered my phone…

I took a deep breath, running my fingers through my thick hair as I did so. I'd just poke everywhere with the pitchfork I had grabbed to distribute the hay outside, where I could hear Dany along with a cow or two already waiting. I expertly crawled up the ladder and onto the roof of the cowshed, where Mandy had always stored the hay. What? It was the perfect place.

As I began to throw hay down for the cows, the soft hissing picked up again. Immediately suspicious, I stopped. Below, Tex was barking, spinning desperately in circles, annoying the hell out of one of the cows, which snorted and glared at him before returning to eating its hay.

I poked at the hay with the pitchfork and couldn't help but snicker. I felt like one of those people in the movies.

Something suddenly brushed against my ankles and I shrieked, jumping away. I cursed as I felt one boot-clad food slip over the edge of the roof, sending me tumbling off. I landed in the hay I had thrown down, the breath leaving me in a whoosh. Pain flared through my side and I cursed quietly, grimacing as I touched the once again bleeding wound.

A hissing sounded again, and then something sharp pricked my arms as a weight settled over my chest. My eyes snapped wide. "Oh my-" Tex interrupted me, barreling over and snarling. The cows went scattering away and Dany reared up with a shriek, whirling away and galloping off. The creature on my chest reared its head back, shrieking at Tex, who yelped, recoiling back.

The creature then blinked gently at me, purring and nuzzling its face against mine.

I froze my eyes wide with surprise. "Oh my gosh," I muttered.

The creature had light tan scales and heavy dark brown plating along its spine and face, like a dragon with spikes, but with no wings. It had two dark talons on each foot, and had to be at least three and a half feet long, its body short and stocky compared to its long and slender neck and tail. Its bright amber eyes stared at me with an intense and intelligent look, and it flicked its tongue out.

It nudged my hand and I hesitantly stroked the heavy plating along its nose. It purred, leaning its head into my hand. "Hello, there," I whispered.

It sniffed, nuzzling my head again before suddenly turning to sniff at my side. I grimaced at the blood. Great, Mandy was going to kill the Doctor. Just what I needed. But the thing suddenly flicked its tongue out, licking at my wound. I yelped, immediately going to push it away, but it clung to me. When it finally pulled back, my eyes widened.

The wound was gone.

I sat up, gently moving the thing from my chest to my lap as Tex trotted over again to sniff at the creature curiously. "Be nice," I muttered to the dog when he curled his lips back into an angry snarl. The creature hissed, and Tex yelped, ducking his head.

It was obviously an alien, I decided. Because there was no way it wasn't. Not with that healing ability it had just used. I stroked its head, startled as it curled up in a ball in my lap. And it appeared to be a peaceful alien at that.

"Ali!"

I raised my head, startled at the sound of Mandy's voice. The creature in my lap stiffened, tensed to run as Mandy appeared on Twist, the Doctor surprisingly not far behind on Dany, his sonic screwdriver in hand. Huh, there was something new. The Doctor knew how to ride a horse. I waved, smiling reassuringly as I continued to stroke the creature's plated head. "I'm right here! Don't worry, I'm fine."

Mandy practically threw herself from Twist's back, darting over to me. "What happened?"

I grimaced, pointing up at the roof of the cow shed. "I just fell off, don't worry, I'm fine." I repeated, smiling brightly. I waved at the small creature, giggling as it licked my hand playfully. "This guy was hiding in the hay up there and scared me, that's all."

She sighed in relief, peering curiously at the creature as the Doctor easily swung down from Dany's back, moving over to inspect the creature. His eyes widened. "Brilliant you are, you little thing." He reached over and plucked it out of my lap with ease, examining it. "One of the rarest creatures in the entirety of space and time, Alissa Levine. So rare that they're considered just as mythological as werewolves and vampires."

"You told me you met a werewolf," I mused.

He grinned at me, winking. "Exactly. Just rare enough to be considered mythological. Beautiful healing abilities…ah, see you've already figured that out," he muttered, seeing my once again bloodied side. "Some of the most intelligent, too, they just don't have the ability to speak."

The creature hissed irritably. Cranky, it snapped at the Doctor's fingers. The Doctor yelped, dropping it and it scrambled back over to me, crawling onto my shoulders and curling around my neck. I giggled. "I guess he doesn't like you."

Mandy pursed her lips, staring at the creature. "What exactly is it?"

"It's so rare it doesn't have a name," he answered.

I smiled, patting its head. "Then I'm going to call him Clave. Is that okay with you, little guy?"

Clave purred in response, rubbing his cheek against mine with a happy sound.

The Doctor offered me a hand, helping me up. I brushed the loose hay off of me, smiling gratefully at him. "Good thing you didn't leave, hm?" He chuckled, murmuring an agreement. Mandy watched us closely, suspicious. "So I fed the cows," I told her. "Can I…?"

Her eyes softened. "Go right ahead," she told me. "Why don't you take Mr. Smith with you, Ali? And get Drevan while you're at it. Tex and I can walk back, so why don't you take Twist? I promise he's trained now. He's not into the rearing thing anymore."

I blinked in surprise. "You sure he doesn't?"

Mandy smiled warmly. "I'm sure. Go on."

I gave Mandy a hug, whispering a thanks in her ear. After making sure Clave was still around my shoulders and holding on, I expertly swung up into the stallion's saddle. Twist flattened his ears unhappily, side stepping. I glanced at the Doctor, smiling as I waved at Dany. "Come on, you, let's get going."

He raised an eyebrow, but swung onto the massive horse's back. "Why are we riding horses? Where are we going?"

I gave a faint smile. "You'll see," I murmured. I clicked my tongue urging Twist into a trot. The Doctor did the same, Dany doing more of a fast walk then a trot, heavy hooves slamming into the ground. "It's where I grew up."

"Miss Evenson mentioned that you were adopted," the Doctor mused. "What happened to your parents?" When I made a face, he quickly added, "Don't tell me if you don't want to, I'm merely curious is all."

I sighed. "I was adopted. When I was four years old, my family was killed. Nobody knows what killed them, let alone me, but they're dead, that's for sure." I bit my lip to bite back a shaky sigh. "I watched it happen. I was four, like I said, so I don't really remember it, but…"

"Interesting," the Doctor murmured.

We made good timing on the horses. I was surprised at how cheerful and in a good mood the Doctor was in, considering he'd just been left alone with Mandy. Clave was happily hissing from his spot around my shoulders, nuzzling my cheek every now and then. We even raced the two horses, Dany easily pulling ahead of the nervous Twist.

Panting for breath and laughing, we finally arrived at our destination: my old home, the very place I had purposely not visited for over a decade. I felt Clave hiss irritably at it, hiding his face in my hair. Instead of getting off of my horse and going to check out the place as everyone else would have done, I sat there. I sat there on my horse, staring at the house, not even noticing as the Doctor moved Dany closer, gently touching my shoulder in reassurance in an attempt to get my attention.

Memories blazed through my mind as I studied the house. I could remember flames in the kitchen, screaming coming from the house. I could remember warm arms wrapping around me, tears soaking my hair as I just stood there and watched, stunned. And then there was a strange creature, smashing through the hole in the side of the house. I swallowed nervously, my hands tightening around the reins. Twist nervously sidestepped.

"This is where my family died," I finally whispered, turning my gaze to the Doctor. I winced as he pulled his sonic screwdriver out and scanned it over the house, furrowing his brow in thought, running his fingers through his hair. I tilted my head curiously, and he rapidly explained in a fast toned voice to where I could barely understand, "Searching for any alien technology, with how every alien we come across has been acting and calling you whatever they've been calling you, it wouldn't surprise me if an alien was the one to do it."

I blinked. I'd never considered that. "Are you getting any readings?"

He shook his head, examining his sonic before tucking it back into the pocket of his suit. His dark eyes studied the house before he glanced at me, saying, "Where does this friend of yours live?"

"Drevan?" I asked, immediately distracted. "Drevan lives another mile down the road. If we keep going, we'll be there soon. Why?"

He gave a dry smile, pulling something out of his pocket and holding it out for me to inspect. I carefully leaned in Twist's saddle to peer at it, startled to see none other than the key to the TARDIS. It was giving off a soft glow, and was turning the skin of my friend's hand red. "It's burning you?!"

He nodded, tucking it away. "I need to get back to the TARDIS and get it fueled up. This is its way of telling me what it needs."

I bit my lip, sighing disappointedly. "Alright," I muttered. I clicked my tongue, kicking Twist into a walk. The Doctor copied me, his eyes gentle as he reminded me, "I'll be back in the next two days, I promise. Take the time to enjoy your friends and family." His gaze darkened. "You don't know what might happen when traveling with me."

I blinked in surprise at the bitterness in his words. "Are you talking about Rose again?" I asked gently.

"Her among others," the Doctor answered warily. "There was another woman I was friends with. Donna Noble. I…ah, that's a story for another time." He shook his head. "But don't worry, I'll be back. I swear."

I allowed him to switch the subject, sensing the sadness, something that was obvious in his slouching corm. "Good. Because I'll hunt you down somehow. Jack seems to have a knack at doing that, and I know where to find him and how to contact him."

The Doctor groaned, and I laughed. "Here," he said, suddenly, holding out his hand. I blinked, doing the same, curious as he pressed something into my hand. I pulled it back to examine what he'd given me. My jaw dropped.

He'd given me his sonic screwdriver.

"You're allowing me to hold onto this?" I stated weakly.

"I don't give it to just anyone," he warned. "Don't go abusing it. Just keep it until I come back, and I'll want it as soon as I do. It's so that you don't think I'm running around abandoning you. I'll be back in two days, just like I promised."

We reached the TARDIS a few moments later, and we both climbed off of our respected horses. I quickly moved over and gave him a tight hug, warning, "If you don't come back for me, I'm going to kill you. Got it? I don't think I can go back to just sitting around drawing. I'll try and remember what that thing was if you don't just leave me."

The Doctor gave a grim smile, returning the hug for a moment. Despite an annoyed hiss coming from Clave as he leaped from my shoulders and sat patiently on the ground, I enjoyed the warmth, leaning into him until he pulled back, hands on my shoulders. "Don't try too hard. If you want, I can search your memories myself when we're off in the time vortex."

My eyes lit up. "That'd be great," I said eagerly.

He chuckled, ruffling my hair before turning to unlock the TARDIS doors. I glowered playfully at him, fixing my hair and patting the TARDIS doors. _I'll see you in a few days, you old police box!_

_"Be careful, my Girl,"_ the TARDIS cooed back, wary. _"My Thief has entrusted his most prized tool to you. Take care."_

Turning my attention off of the TARDIS, I stepped back, scooping Clave back up. The Doctor winked. "See you in two days! Allons-y, Ali!" he said cheerfully before closing the doors.

Hugging Clave, sonic screwdriver clutched tightly in my hand, I gave a sad sigh, watching as the TARDIS disappeared before my eyes, the familiar soft sound fading into silence. Dany snorted softly as I grabbed his reins, allowing Clave to climb back onto my shoulders before tapping the Clydesdale's shoulder so that I could climb on.

As excited as I was, I had a feeling it was going to be a _long_ two days of normalness.

And in my world now, normalness was no fun.

**~~OO~~II~~OO~~**

**A/N: So the Doctor left his sonic with Ali! ^_^ Something that's never really happened with any companion for any reason. ;) What did you think of Mandy? I love Mandy, and Clave, too, don't know why…and next chapter we meet Drevan and Catie and perhaps…something else. o.o**

**Thanks to my precious two reviewers! You made my day!**

**Guest: **Thanks, glad you love it! :3 Something sort of happened, as you can see, so. XD And the conversations between Ali and the TARDIS are so much fun to write. XD

**crimsonlove4evr: **You'll love it and hate it. o.o Best show ever. And I'm glad you think this will help you with getting into the fandom, I feel seriously privileged that you said that…


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